


Hang on! Hold me! MakotoxReader

by DarkSuperSonic14



Series: Hang On! Hold Me! [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: F/M, Hang on! Hold me!, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-12
Updated: 2014-12-12
Packaged: 2018-03-01 04:06:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 39,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2759027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkSuperSonic14/pseuds/DarkSuperSonic14
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Makoto x Reader Insert. You are a girl who travels to Iwatobi High School and befriends the Iwatobi Swim Club. Things are going perfectly until you begin to notice the trouble between your parents. And not to mention there's a creeper going around the town, vandalising and terrorizing people. Things go from bad to worse as you struggle with your relationship with Makoto while your parents fight and bicker in front of you, with one of them even disappearing! [MakotoxReader] (Involves character death, slightly insensitive content, violence and mentions of abuse)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The New Student

Chapter 1  
The New Student

 

“I AM SO LATE!!” you shouted, running down the streets as quickly as you could. Your short, straight, chin length hair was now a complete mess as you turned the street. You began running down the stairs, hoping to see the school you’d practiced walking to for the past week since you moved here. You hadn’t met any of the students of that school during that time, so you were incredibly nervous. It was half way during the school year when your parents had decided to move here and enroll you in a different school. You’d left your best friend from your previous school due to your father’s work, and your mother had finally landed her dream job. Both were so busy now that you rarely saw them. So you had no choice but to settle yourself into your new school.

Finally you approached the school gates. The students had just begun filing into the building to get ready for the day. You quickly jogged inside, carrying your school case in your hand jerkily. When you reached the halls, you looked around in confusion. You were supposed to go to the Teacher’s lounge first to sign the final paperwork for your enrollment. But where the heck was that? You wandered the halls, looking around for a sign of some sort to find the Teacher’s lounge.

“Excuse me? Are you lost?” asked an unfamiliar voice. You turned, wondering who was behind you. The boy standing behind you had short, messy brown hair and emerald green eyes, though both his eyes and hair wasn’t nearly as dark in colour as yours. He smiled kindly at you, wearing the green necktie that signaled he was in the same year as you, second year.

“U-Um… I need to find the Teacher’s lounge…” you admitted, hiding your eyes with your long fringe. The boy chuckled, still smiling kindly, then put a hand on your shoulder, turning you around, then leaned forward so his face was just over your other shoulder, then pointed ahead down the hall.

“Just down that hall and first room on the left. I gotta go now or I’ll be late. Good luck” the boy stated, letting your shoulder go and walking away. You turned, watching him walk away. It was then that you noticed how broad his shoulders were. He was definitely well built, probably did a sport of some kind, like baseball or football. You watched him disappear into a classroom, then began following his instructions. You knocked on the door, peeking in shyly.

“Hello dear, you must be [first name] [last name]? Welcome, I’m your homeroom teacher, Miho Amakata. Just come in here and sign these papers, then I’ll take you to the classroom” a woman with short length, curly brown hair said. Her eyes were an earth brown and she had a slight ditzy aura to her. You stepped into the room, walking to the desk she was sitting at. You quickly signed the forms, most of them just being permission forms, then watched as Miss Ama stood, walking out the room. You jogged after her, looking around to try and memorize the paths. Miss Ama opened the door to a classroom, then stepped in as you followed closely behind her. A small outburst caught everyone’s attention as they looked to the back row. The boy that had given you directions was looking at you with a shocked expression.

“It’s you!” he stated as you gasped as well.

“Broad shouldered guy!” you said back, looking just as shocked as him. Everyone in the class began giggling at your remark and you blinked, realizing what you’d just said. You covered your mouth quickly with your hand, blushing as you stepped back.

“Now settle down everyone. This is our new transfer student from Hokkaido. Her name is [first name] [last name]. Please make her feel welcomed” Miss Ama stated, introducing you to the class. You bowed to the class, hoping no one would ever bring up what you’d said ever again.

“Let’s see, you can sit in front of Makoto. He’s the one you already know. Makoto? Can you help her out today? If you’re not too busy with the swimming club?” Miss Ama asked and Makoto nodded, smiling gently.

“Sure, I can do that” Makoto replied. You saw Miss Ama smile at you, then nodded her head in confirmation. You looked ahead at the class, then looked down at the ground as you began walking down the aisle, heading for your seat. You placed your bag on the hook on the side of your desk, then sat down. You just wanted to hide, what an embarrassing thing to do on your first day. Your cheeks heated up a little as you placed one of your hands on the side of your neck, as force of a nervous habit. You could feel eyes on you, so you looked around the classroom. Not a single head was turned to glance at you. So you turned to look behind you slightly, but Makoto was paying attention to the teacher. Who was it? That was when you noticed the boy sitting next to Makoto. He had black hair and the deepest, purest blue eyes you’d ever seen. His eyes reminded you of the ocean.

He was staring at you, as if trying to assess you. You raised a brow, wondering why he was watching you, then a small smile formed on his face as he turned to gaze out the window instead. What the heck was that about?

 

After class, you wandered the halls while carrying the bento lunch box you’d prepared for yourself the night before. As you walked up the steps, heading to the roof, you heard other students talking to each other. Most of the students were talking about the clubs they were in.

‘What club should I join?’ you thought to yourself, stepping out onto the roof. Not a single soul was in sight. You sighed in relief, feeling claustrophobic from your first day so far. You sat down on the air vents, opening your lunch to eat the simple rice balls you’d made yourself with last night’s leftovers. As you bit into the rice ball, you paused to see four boys step onto the roof as well. It was Makoto, that boy that had smiled at you, and two first years. You could tell due to the red tie they wore around their necks.

“Hm? [First name]! Fancy seeing you up here!” Makoto greeted, stepping forward.

“Someone you guys know Haru?” the blonde haired, mauve eyed boy asked. The black haired boy that had smiled at you nodded. So he was Haru.

“She transferred today from Hokkaido. Her name’s [first name] [last name]” Haru stated, turning to look at the blonde boy. He didn’t seem to want to make eye contact with you.

“Hey, mind if we eat lunch with you today?” Makoto asked and you turned your attention back to him, suddenly realizing how close he was and jumped in fright, your lunch jumping up a bit and losing its shape as it landed back in your lunchbox. Makoto had been startled by you being startled, and jumped back in shock as well.

“D-Did I startle you? Sorry…” Makoto apologized as you clutched near your chest to try and calm down your heartbeat.

“I-It’s alright… I just wasn’t expecting it. Sure, I guess you guys can make yourselves at home here” you replied, seeing Makoto smile at his friends as they approached, sitting on the floor and on the air vents with you.

“Oh, your lunch doesn’t look much like lunch now…” Makoto stated, noticing the mess of rice and chopped vegetables in your lunchbox.

“Well, with how high those rice balls flew up in the air, it’s no surprise they lost all their shape” stated the blue haired boy with purple eyes and red glasses.

“Yeah, I have to agree with Rei, those rice balls looked like they tried pole vaulting, eh Rei?” asked the blonde and Rei stammered, looking horrified.

“Pole vaulting is much more beautiful a sport than that Nagisa! Oh, sorry… I shouldn’t yell around the lady…” Rei apologized when he realized he was yelling. You giggled, finding their conversation and how they treated each other refreshing.

“Not at all, don’t apologize! I haven’t had this much fun in ages!” you stated, giggling more. You could feel the boys smiling at you, so you looked at them all. Makoto was giving you that gentle smile of his as he sat on your right. Rei was sitting on the floor, as was Nagisa, and Haru was sitting on your left. You guys had made your little circle of friends. Nagisa was grinning, while Rei was smiling almost proudly. But when you looked at Haru, he quickly averted is eyes, looking lost in thought. Again?

“Here, want some of my lunch to make up for messing yours up?” Makoto asked, using his chopsticks to pick up an octopus wiener and drop it in your lunch box. You glanced at it, then glanced up at him as Nagisa suddenly jumped up to his knees.

“I wanna join in!” he shouted, breaking off a piece of his bun and dropping it in your lunch box as well. Rei decided to join in as well, putting some veggies of his in your lunch box, then Haru dropped a piece of fish in it, quickly looking away. You giggled, thanking them for the food, then began eating. You’d eaten everything put the piece of bun and fish. You picked up the fish, nibbling it, noticing Haru glancing at you out the corner of his eye. Again, he was observing you. You finished the fish quickly, then grabbed the bun. Makoto suddenly began to panic as you placed the piece in your mouth and began chewing.

“Don’t eat that…! Oh no…” Makoto exclaimed as you suddenly froze, feeling your face getting colder. Too sweet! Way too sweet! You tried about three times to swallow before you succeeded, then coughed to clear your throat.

“A-Are you okay!?” Rei asked, looking just as concerned as Makoto. Nagisa raised a brow, looking at the remainder of the bun in his hand.

“Eh? It tastes just fine to me… Why’s that everyone’s reaction?” Nagisa pondered, scratching his head before shrugging his shoulders and eating more.

“W-Water…” you pleaded, looking for your drink bottle.

“Is this yours?” Haru suddenly spoke up, offering you your drink bottle. You smiled in gratitude, nodding and began guzzling your water. When your throat was clear, you stopped, remembering you had to breathe.

“Thank you Haru” you thanked, smiling as he turned away again. You raised a brow. Did he not like you very much?

“Are you okay [first name]?” Makoto asked, peering at you. You nodded, putting your lunch box away.

“Oh, by the way, have you decided what club you’re going to join? There’s loads!” Nagisa suddenly exclaimed to you, startling you for a second.

“Club? Is it mandatory?” you asked, and the boys looked at each other.

“Um, not sure… everyone just seems to be in one…” Rei responded.

“I don’t… really know… I don’t have any specific talents… nor am I really bad at anything… I’m about an average at everything… I guess…” you responded. Suddenly, Haru spoke up again, looking you directly in the eyes.

“Join the swim club” Haru almost practically demanded. You sat there, blinking to absorb what he said.

“Haru! You can’t just force someone to join the swim club!” Makoto objected, sounding almost horrified.

“Why… the swim club specifically?” you asked, having not taken offense to Haru’s demand.

“Because all four of us are in the swim club, I think… Was that your reasoning Haruka?” Rei asked. So Haru’s full name was Haruka.

“She… she smells like water…” Haruka stated. Everyone remained silent, processing what he’d said for a few seconds, but then everyone exclaimed their confusion and shock all at the same time.

“What do you mean she smells like water!? Does water even really have a smell!?” Makoto asked, flustered and confused. Haruka sat there, unfazed.

“I meant she has a much cleaner smell than most people… Therefore she must like water a bit, right?” Haruka answered, looking to you for an answer.

“Well… I do take a long time with showers and baths and stuff like that… if that’s what you mean…” you replied, seeing Haruka smile at you.

“Then join us, just come see what it’s like, then you can decide” Haruka reasoned.

“Is it just me, or does Haru seem intent on getting her to join?” Nagisa whispered to Rei. Rei nodded, also shocked by Haruka’s bold behavior.

“Haru…” Makoto started, but stopped himself as he turned to you and said, “You know what? Haru’s right! Just give it a try [first name]! I’m the Captain of the swimming club, so if you want to join, you’ll definitely be accepted! If you want, we’re having a meeting for the club after school, why don’t you join us?”

You blinked at him, then looked down at your knees. You remained like that for a little, debating over it.

“U-Uh… you don’t have to if you don’t want to…” Nagisa tried to add in, thinking you were feeling pressured.

“No… I’d love to! You guys have been nice to me since I got here, it’s the least I can do” you replied, smiling at all of them as they sighed in relief.

“What a relief… I was beginning to think you didn’t like us” Rei responded.

“No, not at all! I think you’re all really funny and fun guys!” you answered, seeing them all smile at each other happily. You’d found it, the place you were supposed to be in Iwatobi High School, and that was in the swimming club!


	2. Swimming Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second chapter. Hope you're enjoying it so far.

Chapter 2  
Swimming Club

 

At the end of your first day, you sent a text to your parents, informing them you might be late home, in case they arrived home early first. Doubtful, but you needed to be sure of every possible outcome. As you grabbed your school bag, heading to Makoto and Haruka who were standing out the classroom waiting for you, you received a text back.

'That’s alright Honey, have a great time. We won’t be back till late, take your time. Just be back before dark. Mum, xxx'

You smiled at the text, putting your phone away.

“Ready to go?” Makoto asked, smiling kindly at you again. You nodded, walking between the two of them as they led you to the pool. You met up with Nagisa and Rei on the way there, and were introduced to a girl with long red hair and red eyes. You learnt her name was Gou, but she preferred being called Kou.

“So, [first name], I don’t suppose you have a swimsuit, do you?” Rei suddenly asked, making you come to a stop. That was one thing you didn’t have.

“U-Uh…” you started, noticing they’d all stopped to look at you. Kou suddenly jumped into the conversation, putting an arm over your shoulders.

“Don’t worry, we have a spare male and a spare female one in the back room. You can borrow that till you get one of your own” Kou stated, winking at you. You smiled in gratitude, walking alongside Kou as she led you to the female change rooms. The boys went to the male change rooms. As you stepped in and Kou began looking for the swimsuit for you, you began taking off your jacket and tie.

 

“Here it is!” Kou announced, pulling out a navy blue, sports swimsuit one piece. You smiled at her in gratitude, then began taking off the rest of your clothes. Kou sat down, waiting for you to finish changing when she gasped. You froze, wondering what had startled her.

“[first name], is that a birthmark?” Kou asked and you instantly turned to hide your back from her. You had always felt ashamed of the large birthmark on your back, just in the small of it near your pelvis. According to people it looked like a clam, or some sort of sea shell.

“O-Oh… sorry… I shouldn’t have said anything…” Kou said, sensing your awkwardness and fear. You had always been very self-conscious of your back, but you didn’t think Kou would say anything mean about it. That still didn’t change how you felt about it though. You put on the swimsuit, thankful the hole in the back of it that was part of its design was on the upper back.

“It fits you just right! I thought that swim suit would fit” Kou stated, jumping to her feet. You smiled back at her, thankful she hadn’t brought up the birthmark again. Kou then grabbed your wrist, pulling you out towards the pool. You managed to snatch a towel, putting it over your shoulders as you were dragged along. The boys were already out and gathered along the edge of the pool.

“Wow! [First name]! You look amazing in that!!” Nagisa suddenly shouted when he spotted you. The boys all looked at you, and they all went a little pink in the face. Nagisa jumped to his feet, running to you and suddenly hugged you tightly. You froze, blinking in shock.

“Wow, your skin’s so soft! Hey guys! Her skin is so soft! Come feel!” Nagisa suddenly shouted to the boys as Kou grabbed his ear, pulling him away. The other boys had become really awkward as you looked at the ground, blushing.

“Ow! Ow! Gou, that hurts! That’s my ear!” Nagisa shouted in painful protest as Kou pushed him into the pool.

“It’s Kou, not Gou!” she yelled to him, then dusted off her hands, walking back to you.

“Sorry about him [first name]. Is there a particular style of swimming you do?” Kou asked, giving you a smile.

“U-Um… I kinda swim all styles…” you responded, giving her a shy smile back. Kou grinned, pulling out her stop watch.

“Alright! Time to record how fast you swim in each stroke!” Kou declared, giggling. You sighed, walking to the edge of the pool. You stepped up, getting ready to dive in.

“Wait!” called out Makoto suddenly, making you turn to look at him. He approached you, holding his hand out.

“Here, you can borrow these while you swim” Makoto offered, handing you his goggles. You looked down at his hand, accepting the goggles then smiled at him. Your smile must’ve startled him because he blinked in shock, his cheeks tinged with pink, before he smiled back at you. You put on the goggles, adjusting them a little for your smaller sized head, then made sure they were on correctly. You leaned forward, getting ready to dive in. Luckily Nagisa had fished himself out the pool and was now sulking over his soaked jacket.

 

“Alright! 100m Breaststroke! Ready, set, GO!” Kou shouted as you dove into the pool, beginning to swim breaststroke down the lane. You couldn’t hear much of anything due to the water in your ears, so you focused on where you were going and moving your legs in the correct movements. When you reached the turn off point, you turned, kicking off the wall and began swimming back up to where Kou was. You could see all the boys were looking a little shocked, but they looked impressed mostly. When your hands hit the wall, you stopped, letting your head out the water.

“Impressive [first name]! Really great for your first try! Here, have some water!” Kou stated, leaning over the edge of the pool and offering you a bottle of water. You accepted happily, guzzling a little before inhaling deeply.

“Thanks… I forgot how tiring swimming can be. Anyway, what’s next?” you asked, pulling yourself up out of the pool.

“Alright, I think the next one should be backstroke. Then you’ll do freestyle, then butterfly, okay?” Kou explained. Sounded reasonable enough, so you nodded in response. After a few minutes break, you put down the bottle of water and returned to where you stood before.

“Alright, 100m backstroke. Are you ready?” Kou asked as you jumped into the pool, grabbing the pole and resting your legs up where they needed to be. You held onto the wall in a crouched, crab position.

“Alright, ready, set, GO!” Kou shouted as you launched from the wall, curving your back and swimming along to the wall on your back. Again, you couldn’t hear anything due to the water in your ears. You swam as fast as you could, touching the wall and launching yourself off it again, swimming back. You tried to imagine a shark or some other dangerous animal was chasing you, giving you incentive to swim at your fastest. You touched the wall, standing upright.

“Wow that was fast! You’re really good [first name]!” Kou stated, looking at the boys as they all nodded in approval.

“So, the next one’s freestyle, right? Just give me a minute to catch my breath” you said, hoisting yourself up again. You downed some more water, putting it aside. As you stood and got ready to dive again, you noticed Miss Ama sitting in a chair with a parasol, watching over everyone.

“Alrighty, 100m freestyle, ready, set, GO!” Kou shouted, making you dive in. You kicked your legs, moving your arms and began swimming towards the wall. It wasn’t long till you reached it, then turned, launching yourself off the wall. A few kicks later and you were swimming back towards the others. You hit the wall, standing up and began breathing heavily.

“You’re really good, but so far breaststroke is your fastest” Makoto said as he stood beside Kou, looking at the sheet of times she’d written. You gave them a smile, attempting to pull yourself out the pool, but your foot slipped. All of a sudden you were waist down back in the water. You sighed, pulling yourself up again. This time you succeeded.

“I’m tired… guess I can go one more though…” you said, drinking about half of the water you had in the drink bottle. You stood, returning back to where you dove in.

“100m butterfly, ready, set, GO!” Kou yelled, signaling your dive. You dove in, quickly raising both your arms up out of the water at the same time. You made it to the wall, a little slower than normal, kicking off and propelling yourself forward. Repeating the same process, you hit the wall and stood up.

“Not as fast as your other times, but you’re really good!” Kou said, leaning down and smiling at you. You panted heavily, taking off the goggles Makoto had lent you. You tried to pull yourself up, but didn’t even manage to lift your legs. You just stood there, holding the wall as you tried to regain your strength. Soon, a hand was extended to you. You looked up, seeing Makoto offering you a hand. You blinked, looking up at him as he just smiled kindly back at you. You went to go accept his offer when another hand appeared alongside it. You looked at the other owner, seeing Haruka offering you a hand as well. You giggled, accepting both as they worked together to pull you out the pool and to your feet.

 

“So, what do you think of the club so far?” Rei asked, approaching you. Nagisa also rushed to you, suddenly grabbing and hugging your arm happily.

“She loves us, doesn’t she!?” Nagisa exclaimed, laughing. You couldn’t help but laugh.

“Nagisa, that’s for her to decide, isn’t it?” Rei asked, crossing his arms in disapproval. Nagisa let go of your arm, pouting at Rei.

“But Rei…” Nagisa whined, now clinging to Rei’s arm. You found the scene hilarious and began cracking up laughing. You clutched your stomach, doubling over a little from laughing so much, tears forming in the corners of your eyes.

The boys became silent, watching you, then began laughing quietly to themselves as they smiled at each other in accomplishment.

“I’d say with how you all get along that it’s a definite yes” Kou stated, smiling at them all as she added, “And with your times [first name], it’s a definite yes from us!”

“Okay, I’ll join. Please look after me everyone” you said, finally calming down enough to talk. As you turned from looking at Kou, a towel suddenly landed on your head and around your shoulders. You turned to look at the culprit, seeing Makoto smiling down at you. He was about a head taller than you.

“T-Thanks… and thanks for these…” you thanked, handing him back his goggles. Makoto just smiled at you more, giving you that bright, warm, motherly smile.

“Anytime. We’re here to help, and I hope by now, we’re friends” Makoto responded.

“I see [first name] as my friend! Definitely!!” Nagisa suddenly shouted, launching a fist up at the sky.

“I agree, we could learn to be good friends!” Rei added, adjusting his glasses on his face. Haru smiled, nodding.

“Well, I guess that makes us a little swimming club family” Makoto added, putting a hand forward. Nagisa laughed, adding his hand on top as Rei added his. Haru smiled, adding his hand in, then the boys looked at you. Kou giggled, dashing to you, grabbing your hand and placing it on the pile as she then proudly put her own on top. Everyone began smiling and laughing with each other. You looked around at them all, seeing the happy smiles on their faces.

“We’re a team, every member is irreplaceable” Haru stated, smiling at you. You felt a smile grow on your face and a warm, fluttery feeling growing in your chest. You’d never felt so accepted before in your life, not at your old school, or at home. You closed your eyes, still smiling, then nodded in confirmation.

“That settles it then! Miss [first name] [last name] is the newest member of the Iwatobi Swimming Club!” Miss Ama said from her chair as she twirled her parasol happily.


	3. Tension Building

Chapter 3  
Tension building

 

You’d been at Iwatobi High School about four months now. You’d grown close to all the swimming club members, including Coach Sasabe who came along occasionally during his work to help train us. You were all grateful for his help, plus all the equipment he had. Even Miss Amakata was incredibly kind and caring, as long as you didn’t get her in the wrong mood. The boys for some reason, especially Nagisa, kept reverting her into some scary monster. Now, for some reason, Kou was standing in front of you all, holding up a poster. It was an ocean swimming training camp.

“This again? Didn’t this end badly last time?” Rei asked, sounding almost a little scared. Kou smiled at them, looking a little evil.

“Yes, but [first name] hasn’t done this yet, and we need to build her stamina correct? What better training than the ocean?” Kou asked, giggling as the boys all glanced at each other. You looked between them, seeing the unsure expressions on their faces. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea? Just as Makoto was about to open his mouth to begin speaking, Kou suddenly grabbed you, pulling you to stand beside her, then cupped your cheeks in her hand, squeezing them in so you was making a ‘fish face’.

“And now you have to try and say no to this face! Now I know you won’t be able to refuse!” Kou exclaimed in victory. You didn’t really get what she meant but you saw Makoto falter, sighing. Kou let you go as she squealed in triumph, then began skipped along, tugging at your wrist so you was dragged behind her.

“W-Wait a minute! What’s going on!?” you asked, being almost pulled off your feet. Kou just giggled, continuing to pull you along. You turned to glance at the boys and they smiled, waving goodbye to you sadly.

“She’s not taking me to the slaughter you guys! Stop looking miserable!” You shouted back, seeing Nagisa smirk.

“She might be though!” he yelled back and you gasped in horror, looking at Kou to hear her giggling evilly. You turned back to glare at them.

“How can you just stand there and leave me like this! I’ll haunt you for the rest of your existence!” You shouted back, hearing them all chuckle. You was pulled into a room and Kou shut the door. She laid the poster on a table, then brought out a few more posters.

“Alright [first name], since you’re new to this event, I’ll explain it to you. This is a stamina training camp at the beach. You swim to all of these islands, each one is a kilometer away from each other. It’s three days, two nights. So pack what you need, but try to keep it light, cause you’ll be camping with the boys” Kou explained. You nodded, seeing no issue with that. Wait… Camp with the boys!? What on earth was she thinking!?

“Camp with the boys!? Isn’t there something a little wrong with that?” You asked, seeing her pause. Her face fell when she saw your problem, then smirked in triumph, giving you a thumbs up.

“No problem! I’ll just snatch the tent my brother has yet he never uses!” Kou stated, relieving some of your tension. You sighed in relief. Thank goodness, now you wouldn’t have to worry about that issue. Now you just needed to run it by your parents.

 

(That night)

You sat down on the couch at home, watching your TV shows when the door opened. You turned to kneel on the couch, looking over to see Mum walk in. She placed her work bag on the ground, turning to glance at you with a small smile, then sat at the table. You heard the kettle begin boiling and knew she was making her cup of tea for the night. About ten minutes later, the door opened and Dad walked in. He had bags under his eyes and looked almost like a zombie.

“Hi Dad, how was work?” You asked, seeing him look at you with a nod, then sit at the table and let his head land on the table. Mum had finished her cup of tea and stood, walking off to the bedroom. You wondered when a good time would be to discuss the idea and stood, walking over to Dad.

“Dad? Can I talk to you? It’s about a school swimming camp excursion. Its three days and two nights. Can I go?” You asked, seeing him look up from the table. His hair was dark brown, darker than your own and was cut really short in a neat hairstyle. He had dark blue eyes and a moustache growing on his upper lip.

“A camp? Um… go ask your mother, okay honey?” he suggested, sitting up straight and standing, going to make himself a hot drink. You watched him go, feeling like you’d just been tossed aside for a second. Maybe Dad was just tired… You decided to go ask Mum. You stepped into the bedroom, pausing when you saw her in a really nice dress. She had her long, light brown wavy hair shaped around her shoulders and a black and white flower clip in the right side of her hair. She was wearing a black cocktail dress and her fancy heels. She turned to look at you with her emerald green eyes and smiled at you. She was in the middle of putting her make up on.

“Sweetie? What is it?” she asked and you stepped forward. Mum had always been really gorgeous, so you felt like you’d received the short end of the stick in a way. You’d taken more after Dad, the only thing of Mum’s you’d gotten were her eyes.

“Um, there’s a school excursion soon. It’s three days, two nights. It’s for the swimming club I’m in. Can I go?” You asked. Mum paused, adjusting her eyeliner, then looked back at you.

“Have you asked your father?” she questioned. You nodded, looking down. She paused, as if in thought.

“What did he say?” she asked again.

“To go ask you…” You answered and you saw the corner of her eye twitch as if she tried to hold something back. She quickly masked it away and beamed a smile at you.

“Of course you can go Sweetie. Just make sure there’s a teacher around, alright?” she stated. You felt a smile form as you nodded in agreement.

“Thank you Mum! You look very pretty by the way, may I ask where you’re going?” You asked. She smiled at you gratefully.

“Thank you Sweetie, I’m going out with the girls tonight” Mum replied, standing when she was certain her makeup was alright, then exited the bedroom. You went to follow behind her when a shout made you flinch and begin retreating.

“And where are you going!?” Dad shouted, sounding almost as if he was talking to you. You peeked out the room to see Mum ball her hands into fists.

“I’m going out with the girls tonight, and besides, I don’t need you telling me what I can and can’t do!” Mum shouted back, grabbing her handbag for when she went out, heading for the door. Dad turned the corner, grabbing her elbow to stop her.

“Oh no you don’t. You’re not dumping her on me!” Dad snarled. You blinked in shock, wondering what on earth had them growling at each other like that. Mum glared, shoving her arm away from him.

“She’s not difficult to look after. She’s a teenager, she practically looks after herself! And besides, you’re always dumping her on me with your work, why can’t I go out and socialize with my friends!?” Mum snapped back, heading further for the door. Dad didn’t move this time, he just stood there and growled darkly. Mum exited the house and shut the door with a slam behind her. Dad stood there for a few seconds before he took a few steps and swung his arm violently. He hit the vase on the end table, sending it smashing to pieces on the floor.

“Bitch!” he snarled, heading to the couch and sitting down. You turned away, looking back in the room as your shoulders shook. What on earth was that all about? How had you all gone from a kind, loving family, to one of those back stabbing families so quickly? Or had you always been like that and you was just never noticing? You just didn’t know any more.

You walked out the bedroom, ending up in the kitchen which was connected with the lounge room. Dad made a noise when he heard you enter, but didn’t say anything. You went to the counter to grab the rubber gloves used for dishes, then grabbed the dust pan and broom. You knelt, picking up the pieces of broken vase. You noticed the flowers were fresh ones, ones that Dad had bought Mum for their anniversary a month ago. They were beginning to wilt and die, just like their relationship. If something wasn’t done soon, you all could end up broken, just like all the pieces of this vase.

“[First name]? Just pick those up and get me a beer from the fridge” Dad stated, not even saying please or asking. You acknowledged him, finishing picking them up but you didn’t toss them away. You took the gloves off, then went to the fridge grabbing a can of beer for him. You handed it to him, having him snatch it away, not even thanking you. You decided not to make an issue of it, grabbing the dust pan and heading to your room. You closed the door, putting the vase pieces over the table. You grabbed the glue from the drawers and began to try and figure out what pieces were the bottom. Maybe if you fixed the vase, you could show them that their relationship could still be saved too. You worked on it till you fell asleep at the table.

 

(The next day)

You walked into the school grounds, having only gotten a few hours sleep. Mum hadn’t arrived home till late, and Dad had just started an argument that had turned into a screaming fest. You didn’t make it very far into the school grounds when someone jumped on your back.

“Good morning [first name]!” greeted Kou as she giggled at you. You managed a weak smile and nod back. You probably had bugs under your eyes and looked a little pale. Your hands looked pale to you, so you assumed the rest of you did too. Kou didn’t seem to notice, she was way too happy.

“Hey! It’s the boys! Let’s go say hi!” Kou stated, grabbing your wrist and pulling you behind her. You just managed to stay on your feet.

“Boys!” Kou shouted, grabbing their attention as they turned, smiling when they saw you both.

“Gou! [First name]!” Nagisa greeted, waving excitedly at you both.

“Kou! Not Gou!” Kou reminded him and Nagisa just smiled, sticking his tongue out. Rei nodded his head at you. Haru did the same and Makoto waved at you all.

“So, did you get the A-Okay from your parents?” Kou asked, turning to look back at you. You nodded, deciding not to trust your voice. It probably wasn’t very pleasant to listen to. Kou squealed in delight, hugging you tightly as she rubbed her cheek against yours. You blinked in shock, having never had this much bodily contact with another girl before.

“[First name]? Are you okay? You’re got bags under your eyes…” Makoto asked, looking at you worriedly. You blinked at him, before smiling and nodding. Makoto blinked in confusion. You covered your mouth with your hand, stifling a cough to try and show them you had a sore throat.

“Ah, she’s got a sore throat, that’s why she’s not speaking” Rei explained.

“Oh, I see. I guess that makes sense. Don’t worry, I’ll cover for you in class” Makoto reassured you, giving you a small wink. You nodded, smiling.

“So, this means we’re all going to the beach!” Kou exclaimed, giggling excitedly. Makoto looked down at the ground worriedly. You glanced up at him, wondering what was bothering him so much. You didn’t dare ask though, it wasn’t your place. If Makoto wanted to tell you, he’d tell you in his own time.

 

(A week later)

It was the day before the excursion. However as you were packing your stuff for the trip, sudden shouting in the lounge room caught your attention. You glanced at the almost finished vase and rushed out to see what the fight was about.

“You want me to quit my job!? Why!?” Mum shouted at Dad. Dad just sat on the couch, watching TV with a can of beer in his hand. He was flicking through the TV channels.

“So you can put your priorities on the house, as a wife should be doing. Your job is to keep the house clean and look after the kids, remember?” Dad stated, making Mum growl in anger. She balled her hands into fists, trembling in fury.

“What!? I never signed up to be your house bitch! I’m your wife, not your maid and babysitter! Everything you’ve just said is half your job as well as mine!” Mum yelled back. Dad just growled, making a clicking noise with his tongue. Great… they were arguing again, and you thought you were the topic this time.

“She goes off and does who knows what because there’s no adult in the house! She’s stuck looking after herself all the time, we don’t know what she could be getting caught up in! She might be hanging out with bad boys for all we know, all because you’re never home! What if she went and got herself pregnant or something!” Dad snapped and you suddenly heard a loud ‘SMACK’ sound. You gasped silently realizing Mum had slapped him.

“You’re just as able to quit your job and stay and watch her, but all you do when you get home is sit in front of the TV and drink beer! You don’t even talk to her anymore! If you did, like I do, you’d learn she’d never do a thing like that, she has self-respect! All you think of women as is baby making machines!” Mum yelled. You took a step back, feeling scared by the scary face Dad was making. You agreed, Mum shouldn’t have slapped him, but the look Dad was giving was enough to send any horror villain running in terror.

“Did you just slap me?” Dad asked, it not even sounding like a question. You gasped, taking a step back as Dad stood. They heard your gasp and turned to look back at you. You backed away a step, Dad still wearing his dark expression.

“Sweetie, you’d better go for a walk or something, kill some time” Mum suggested before Dad took a step. His step sounded more like a stomp, and that was enough to trigger you. You turned and bolted for the door. You could hear shouting behind you in the house but you just ran through the front yard and out into the street. You suddenly heard footsteps behind you and was grabbed from behind by your shoulder. You let out a yelp in fright but a hand quickly covered your mouth to prevent you from screaming. You were turned and you saw brown hair and green eyes. Makoto was giving you a worried expression. Once you’d stood there for a few seconds, he let go of your mouth and you turned to look at him.

“Family issues?” Makoto asked as you both heard yelling and some crashing from inside the house. You turned to see one of the lights flicker in the house. You glanced back at him sadly, nodding.

“Want to come round to my place? It’s not far, and it’s a nice environment” Makoto offered, giving you a small smile. You nodded, seeing him begin to walk away. You jogged a little to catch up with him then gently held the end of his sleeve. He glanced to look at you, seeing you look at your feet. He smiled gently, continuing to walk slowly as you followed behind, your hand still tightly clinging to the sleeve of his jacket. For a moment, it was just you two in the world, walking on that little brick road heading to Makoto’s, and you were happy.


	4. A Kind Change

Chapter 4  
A Kind Change

 

The walk to Makoto’s hadn’t been that long, and by the time you arrived, you already found the door open and a woman was standing there, smiling ever so gently at the two of you. She had long hair, almost the same colour as Makoto’s, and her eyes were a turquoise green. She was wearing a green turtle neck sweater, blue jeans and a salmon pink apron.

“Hi Mum, I brought a friend over for a bit. She’s having a bit of family trouble at the moment. Is that okay?” Makoto asked, beginning to grow hesitant at the thought of you not being allowed inside. But the woman just smiled, nodding her head.

“Of course Mako. Just make sure to let her parents know she’s here. And, I hate to ask this when you have a friend over, but can you get the twins to bed? Your father and I are going out for a meeting with the neighborhood watch. It’s about those creepy events that have been happening recently” Makoto’s mother replied, her expression growing serious. Makoto smiled happily when he heard it’d be okay for you to stay, but his expression grew serious at the mention of the meeting.

“Those rocks and threatening letters that have been smashed through people’s windows lately?” Makoto asked. His mother nodded.

“It’s more than just that now… A woman went outside and found a dead squirrel on her front porch. It was quite badly tortured” Mrs Tachibana explained. You felt your face pale at the thought. Makoto noticed, quickly changing the subject.

“Ah! We’d better get inside and let you two get ready then! Gotta look your best, right Mum?” Makoto stated cheerily, grabbing your wrist and pulling you inside gently. The inside of the house was really clean, as you’d expect from a family like Makoto’s. Mrs Tachibana smiled at the two of you, then walked off to go talk to her husband, no doubt about the meeting. Makoto turned to smile at you, letting your wrist go and shutting the front door. You remembered what Mrs Tachibana had said and pulled out your cell phone, texting Mum to let her know you were at a friend’s house for the moment and were safe. You didn’t receive a reply, so you sighed as you put your phone back in your pocket.

“Big brother!” shouted a small male voice and as Makoto and you both turned around, you noticed two small children running to you.

“Big brother! You’re home!!” shouted a female voice and it took you a few seconds, but eventually you figured out these two must’ve been the twins. One was a girl with long hair, the same colour as Mrs Tachibana’s, and the other was a boy with short hair. His hair was the same colour as Mr Tachibana’s. Both of them hugged Makoto’s legs so tightly you saw him stagger to keep his balance. He chuckled, patting both of them on the head, smiling. Suddenly both sets of eyes locked onto you. You blinked, jumping back in slight fright.

“Now now guys… This is [first name] [Last name]. She’s the new swim club member I told you about, remember?” Makoto explained, chuckling nervously as he saw them examining you, or glaring, you wasn’t quite sure which one.

“Big brother brought a girl home…” the boy whispered. Makoto’s eyes widened as he heard them. The girl narrowed her eyes.

“But is she a ‘friend’ friend, or a ‘girl’ friend?” the girl questioned. You yelped in shock and stepped back, feeling your cheeks heat up as you heard Makoto do the exact same thing.

“Ren! Ran! That’s not funny! She’s going through a tough time at the moment, alright?” Makoto practically whined, pulling them off his legs by their shoulders. Both of the twins looked at each other before Ran, the girl, walked up to you slowly. She circled you, as if examining you.

“Ran… what’re you doing?” Makoto asked, unamused. Suddenly, Ran put her tiny hand in yours, clinging to the sleeve of your shirt with her spare hand. Makoto gasped in shock, blinking. He looked completely dumb struck. Ran stuck her tongue out at him.

“I like her! You can’t have her Big brother! She’s mine!” Ran suddenly announced, smirking as Makoto sighed to himself.

“Do you even know what it is you’re saying?” he questioned. Ren then trotted up beside me, grabbing your other hand. You blinked in shock, looking down at him as Makoto sighed irritably.

“I’ve been deserted…” Makoto whined as both the twins stuck their tongues out at him.

“Oh, looks like the twins adore you!” Mrs Tachibana giggled as she watched you from the kitchen table with Mr Tachibana. Mr Tachibana smiled at you, giving you a friendly nod.

“You guys… come on, you two need a bath” Makoto tried to say firmly but the twins began protesting loudly, clinging to your hands and arms.

“No! Big Sister has to come too!” Ran exclaimed. Makoto blinked in shock as you felt yourself doing the same. Big Sister? When did you become a big sister?

“I wanna take a bath with Big Sister! Not you Big Brother!” Ren demanded. You felt my face heat up furiously. Makoto glared at the twins, not even phased by what he’d said.

“I don’t think so… You two are taking a bath, then you’re going to bed” Makoto stated firmly. You giggled in response.

“Awww, do we have to?” both twins whined, hiding behind you.

“Hiding won’t change that fact! Now come back here!” Makoto snapped, running to Ren but he dodged, running around you as Ran joined in and suddenly they were running circles around you. You didn’t even both trying to keep up, they’d just make you dizzy.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it Mako. We’ll be back later tonight!” Mrs Tachibana said, bidding you all farewell. Makoto stopped chasing the twins and waved goodbye to his mother and father as they left. You waved as well, despite not being in the family. Suddenly you felt a weight on your back and turned to see Ren had jumped on your back. He was grinning happily at you.

“Ren! Get off her! She’s not a tree house!” Makoto exclaimed. Ran hugged your leg tightly, pouting at Makoto.

“I know!! Ren can have a bath with you Big Brother, then I can have a bath with Big Sister!” Ran stated, smiling happily. You glanced at Makoto, seeing him ponder it. He sighed in defeat.

“Sorry [first name], would you be okay with that?” Makoto asked me. You blinked in slight confusion.

“Sure, I can do that. If it gets them to have a bath, so be it” You replied. Makoto smiled thankfully. Suddenly Ren tightened his grip around your neck.

“No fair! Why does Ran get to bathe with Big Sister!?” Ren whined. Makoto glared at his little brother, plucking him off your back.

“Because, you’re a boy. Ran’s a girl, the same as [first name]” Makoto stated, walking off with Ren. You looked down at Ran to see her smiling happily at you. You smiled back at her, earning a grin from her.

\--

“Alright, bath time Ran” You stated, entering the bathroom with her. You were just going to change into your clothes again after your bath cause you still had to go back home, but you had Ran’s pajama’s in the room with you, and two towels. Ran was already happily stripping to get in the fresh water Makoto had run for you. You stripped off my jacket, shirt and pants, getting ready to take off your underwear as you noticed Ran grabbing the bottle of bubble bath solution. She opened the lid and poured out way too much.

“Ah! Ran! That’s too much!” You tried to exclaim, managing to talk her into putting the bottle down. You stripped completely, getting in and sat down. Ran had splashed the water around so much you had almost twenty centimeters worth of bubbles. She knelt and crawled to you, grinning. You managed to smile back.

“Alright bubble monster, time for some washing” You stated cheerfully, grabbing the bucket by the side of the bath, scooping up water and tipping it over her head. Ran squeaked, clawing at the hair that had stuck to her eye lids. You giggled. You continued wetting her hair, then began lathering up shampoo through it. She giggled, turning and resting her back on your chest and stomach as you massaged her head.

“You’re so cool Big Sister! When I grow up, I want to look just like you! And Mama too, but I want my body to be just like yours” Ran stated. You smiled happily, wrapping your arms around her and giving her a gentle squeeze. She turned and hugged you back tightly.

“You’ll grow up to be even prettier than Mrs Tachibana and I combined, I just know it” You stated, smiling, but instead you got a pout as a response.

“But I don’t want to be that pretty, then everyone will get jealous. I just want to be a pretty as you and Mama, not more” Ran stated. You blinked in shock, realizing just exactly how mature she really was. They always said girls matured faster than boys, and you guessed they were right. Ran was a lot more mature, at least about the world and how people interact with each other, than most children her age. In order to stop the subject, you grabbed the bucket and suddenly dunked all the water over her head. She squeaked again, but giggled as you washed the shampoo out her hair.

\--

After you were dressed, you opened the door to the bathroom and saw all the lights were off except for one. Ran grabbed your hand, gently leading you through the hallway until you entered the room. Makoto was sitting down on the floor with Ren in his lap. Makoto’s hair was still damp from the bath and he was wearing an orange shirt from what you could see. Ren was wearing his pajamas and had a blanket over his legs.

“Big Brother! Did you grab my blanket too?” Ran asked, pulling you beside Makoto. Makoto smiled, nodding. It was then that you noticed the glasses on his face. They were large with black rims, but they surprisingly suited him. How had you not noticed them when you first entered? Makoto blinked at you in confusion.

“[First name]?” he asked. You just smiled, sitting down next to him as Ran sat happily in your lap, draping the blanket over her knees.

“You wear glasses? They suit you” You stated. Makoto chuckled sheepishly.

“Yeah, I kinda take after my Dad more than my Mum” Makoto replied, looking at the TV screen. He appeared to be playing a video game to keep Ren and Ran occupied. Ren was also playing. It looked like a racing game, but you didn’t know which one. You don’t keep up very much with video games.

“Mario Kart! I wanna play next” Ran exclaimed, answering my question for you. You smiled, watching them interact during the game. You were offered a go a few times, but you politely declined. When Makoto and Ran were racing each other, you took your chance to glance and see if your parents had responded yet. Still nothing. Sighing quietly, you slipped your phone away back into your pocket.

“No response from them yet? When the twins are in bed, should I walk you home?” Makoto asked, glancing at you. You nodded, feeling yourself smile at him.

“It’s alright… it’s not that far away and we shouldn’t leave the twins alone” You responded, seeing him ponder in thought. The twins glanced up at us from their spots on our laps, curious about your conversation.

“I would say you’re welcome to stay the night, but I don’t know how well that would go down with your parents, especially if they’re having issues at the moment…” Makoto stated aloud. You felt your cheeks heat up a little as you looked away, glancing down at Ran and smiled at her. She giggled, grinning back at you.

“Big Brother, can’t we walk Big Sister home with you? That way, you can walk her home, and we won’t be left alone” Ren suggested. Both of you blinked at him, having not thought of that. Makoto glanced at the clock in his room, frowning in thought.

“Well, we’d better do it now before it gets too late. I don’t want you two staying up too late past your bedtime” Makoto responded, shifting to get up. Ren jumped off his lap, jumping around the room happily as Ran jumped to her feet as well. Makoto stood, offering you his hand. You smiled, accepting, putting your hand in his. You blinked as you realized just how big his hand was. Your hand was tiny compared to his. And it was coarse, unlike yours which you like to think are pretty smooth. You were pulled to your feet.

“Get your shoes on you two” Makoto instructed. The twins nodded, dashing out the room to go down the stairs to the door. Makoto gave you a sheepish smile, looking almost nervous. You couldn’t help but smile. It was nice seeing this side to Makoto, compared to how he was at school. You felt like you’d seen a new side of him. Makoto stood by the door, waiting for you as you slipped past him, heading down the stairs to the door where the twins were waiting for you. You slipped on your shoes as Makoto did the same and you stepped out the house. Makoto locked the front door, taking Ran’s hand as Ran held your hand in her spare hand, then Ren walked to your other side, taking your other hand. You smiled, walking down the pavement and to the sidewalk with them. This was probably the happiest you’d been since you moved to this town.

“Big Sister? Big Brother said your parents were arguing… do you think they’ll be okay?” Ran asked, glancing up at you. You smiled gently down at her.

“Don’t you worry Ran… Everything will work out, I know it will” You replied, seeing my house approaching us. You felt a pain in your chest, not wanting to leave them all yet. But the house got closer and soon you were at the front doorstep. You sighed, letting go of the twins’ hands, then knocked on the door. The door opened and your father stood there. He gave you a small glaring look, but he mostly looked tired. He then looked up at Makoto and the twins.

“Who’re these?” he asked gruffly. You smiled at him.

“This is Makoto Tachibana, he’s the captain of the swimming team I’m in at school, and they’re his siblings, Ren and Ran. I stayed with them for a few hours while I was out” You explained. Dad raised a brow suspiciously, but stepped aside from the door, letting you in. You turned to look at them, giving them a smile.

“I’ll see you tomorrow for the camp then, 6:30 sharp in the morning? Isn’t Miss Amakata picking us all up?” You asked, seeing Makoto nod his head. The twins had a hand each of his, and they looked a little scared of your Dad. You didn’t blame them, Dad was scaring even you.

“That’s right. She’s going to everyone’s house and picking them up. Coach Sasabe is going to give us a ride in his boat to the island” Makoto explained, giving you a serious look, then a smile as he waved goodbye to you with the fingers he could spare. You giggled, giving him a small wave, then watched as Dad shut the door. You watched him walk down the hallway, then sit at the couch again. You stepped into the lounge and dining area, seeing the five cans of beer sitting on the table. He was drinking again? Where was Mum? You looked around, but you couldn’t see her.

“If you’re looking for your Mother, she went out with some friends. Said she won’t be back till lunch tomorrow cause she’s staying the night there” Dad explained. So Mum wasn’t even home? You sighed to myself, walking to your room. You shut the door, turning to look at the vase on your table. It was almost complete, but time was running out. You needed to hurry if you were going to show them that they could still save their marriage. But at the moment you had to pack for the trip tomorrow. You were excited about that, but the sudden development between your parents had put a huge damper on things. Would you be able to fix this in time? You kept pondering that question to yourself, over and over again.


	5. Summertime Fun

Chapter 5  
Summertime Fun

 

When morning arrived, you realized you’d fallen asleep at the desk again. You’d been trying to fix the vase before it was time to go for three days, and you’d somehow gotten to just a few pieces left. Having a glance at the clock, you realized you still had some time left before you needed to be outside to wait for Miss Amakata. Grabbing the glue, you stuck the last few pieces on. Standing back, smiling in pride, you then started to get yourself ready. The mornings had been chilly lately, so after putting on your short sleeve blue shirt and black knee length skirt, you put on your black jacket and brown sandals. After brushing your hair, you returned back to the vase. Picking it up, you exited your room and filled it with water. You put some flowers from the old vases in it, placing it back where it originally had stood.

A sudden car horn caught your attention as you grabbed your bag and rushed out the front door. Miss Amakata was sitting in her little pale pink car, Haruka and Makoto were both in the car already. All three smiled upon your arrival and you beamed a smile back. Miss Amakata parked the car, jumping out the driver’s seat and opened the boot. Before you could even try to put it in, she’d grabbed the bag off you and was stuffing it into the back with Makoto and Haruka’s stuff. The back door opened and Haruka stepped out, pointing his hand to inside the car. Raising a brow at him, he sighed.

“You can hop in the middle” he stated. Blinking in shock, you managed to stifle most of your shock into a giggle and jumped in, managing to squeeze yourself between the two boys. Miss Amakata’s car was rather small, and you was wedged between two really well developed boys, so you were finding it a little difficult to move and breathe. Miss Amakata sat back in her seat, then turned to look at you all.

“You know [first name], you could’ve sat at the front” she stated. You gave her a smile.

“That’s alright, I’ll save that for Nagisa, besides, I’m the thinnest, it wouldn’t be fair to try and squeeze poor Nagisa in here” you replied. Miss Amakata giggled and turned around, starting up the car. Silence suddenly filled the back and you couldn’t help but look down at your knees. It was so dreary, you had no idea what the cause of the silence was about. Suddenly you perked up as you thought of a topic to talk about.

“By the way Makoto, how did that meeting go last night? The one your parents went to” you asked, earning both Makoto and Haruka’s attention. Makoto smiled sadly down at the floor.

“Pretty uneventful. That poor lady that received that dead animal on her front doorstep didn’t get any closure, but she did enjoy the nice sweet roll Mum baked for her to try and cheer her up. They still haven’t found any clues though about who this person is” Makoto replied, turning to give you a small smile. You couldn’t help but smile back in response.

“This the person going around threatening and vandalizing everyone?” Haruka asked, wanting in on your conversation. You turned to look at him, nodding in reply. From the look in Haruka’s eyes, he was genuinely interested in this. Makoto nodded in response, looking at the ground in serious thought. Haruka gave you both a concerned look, mainly focusing on Makoto as his eyes seemed to tremble a little.

“So, did most of the adults in the neighborhood go to that meeting?” You asked, trying to change the topic a little. Makoto turned to give you a smile.

“No, it was just with the committee members of the neighborhood watch. My Mum’s the Vice President of the Neighborhood watch and my Dad’s the Treasurer, so they’re required to attend every meeting. They do what they can to help out all their friends” Makoto replied, smiling fondly as he talked about his parents.

“I can see why you grew up so nice then, you’ve grown up around nice people” You stated without even thinking. Makoto blinked at you in shock as you realized what you’d said, looking down at your knees, your cheeks burning.

“U-Uh, I… How much longer till we reach Nagisa’s?” you asked, suddenly changing the subject as you looked out onto the road. Haruka leaned forwards towards you to look over the chair in front of him so he could see the road. Just that movement alone was very awkward. You held your breath, leaning back in your chair so he had room.

“We’re a few minutes away” Haruka answered, turning to smile at Makoto who was already beaming a smile. Makoto had been smiling like a twit ever since what you’d said. The two boys began chatting amongst themselves as you looked down at your hands which were folded neatly together in your lap. Your thoughts wandered back to the vase and whether or not they’d seen it yet and realized that some things could be fixed. You prayed with all your might that the fights would stop upon your return, and you were desperate for the days to pass quickly so you could go back home and see, but part of you also wanted these next three days to never end. You tightened the grip on your hands, feeling a small pang of pain in your chest from the thought of it having not worked.

“[First name]...? [First name], is something wrong?” Haruka asked, suddenly catching your attention as you looked up at him, startled by him raising his voice to snap you out of your thoughts. You blinked at him, trying to process what he’d said.

“W-What? What did you say Haruka?” You asked, seeing him give you a concerned look.

“I asked if something was wrong… You looked tormented and sad… Are you okay? You’ve been acting funny the past week or so…” Haruka asked, dropping the big question. You felt your gut churn, like it’d dropped and splat on the floor, it was a horrible, queasy feeling. You blinked more, slowly looking at your hands which you’d placed on your knees. You saw Makoto and Haruka look at you in concern, but Makoto raised his eyebrows in sympathy. He knew exactly what the problem was, well, maybe not exactly, but he had a rough idea.

“My… My parents are going through marital issues at the moment…” you finally muttered in a whisper and you heard Haruka gasp. Makoto sighed quietly to himself, looking down as well. As you continued to look at your knees, you gripped your knees tightly in your hands. Suddenly, two hands rested on top of yours. You couldn’t help but smile gently as both their large hands folded on top of yours, holding them comfortingly. You turned to look at Haruka, seeing him look away, but the tips of his ears were turning red. So turning, you glanced at Makoto. He was giving you a gentle smile.

\--

“The beach! The sun! The breeze! The bikinis!” Nagisa exclaimed, running onto the beach and then turned to wink at Kou and you. You raised a brow, turning to look at Kou who just giggled in response.

“Did you forget we’re here on a stamina building camp?” Rei asked as Nagisa pouted at him.

“Aww, but this is our chance to see [first name] and Kou in a bikini! Come on girls, put some bikinis on please! We can play beach volleyball for a bit!” Nagisa pleaded, whining at you all. You couldn’t help but laugh. A sudden crash caught your attention and you turned to see a huge pile of equipment on the sand. Haruka and Makoto stood by the pile as Miss Amakata approached you all with her pink umbrella.

“Hey, why were we carrying it all?” Makoto asked as Kou winked at him.

“Well, we’re girls, so you can’t expect us to carry it! As for them two, I think they’re just lazy” Kou answered, walking to you and clutched your arm, giggling.

“Come on [first name]! Let’s show off our bikinis we bought a few days ago!” Kou exclaimed, dragging you behind her to the change rooms. Nagisa squealed happily to himself.

“We get to see them in bikinis! Yay!!” Nagisa yelled happily, winking at the boys. Haruka and Rei sighed as Makoto just gave him that matured smile.

“Now boys, can you set up where you want to play this game?” Miss Amakata asked, setting up her chair to sit down. Nagisa and Rei hurriedly began setting up the poles in the sand as Makoto and Haruka attached the net. After a group effort to stand it up, the volleyball net was ready.

“Hey boys!” Kou greeted, walking up and dragging you behind her again. You felt my cheeks burning as you split from her arm and put your bag of clothes down by Miss Amakata. She smiled gently at you.

“That looks very nice [first name]” she complimented, seeing your cheeks redden more. You turned, about to head to the volleyball net when you noticed all four of the boys were frozen. Kou approached you, giggling confidently.

“My strategy worked! Now the boys can’t take their eyes off us!” Kou stated proudly, then gave you a rough pat on the back. You stumbled forward, seeing Haruka and Makoto’s faces begin to turn a little red. Rei was smiling now, having recovered from his shock, and Nagisa was smirking happily. Your swimsuit was a purple bikini styled halter neck top and a purple and pink frilly short skirt bottom. You had a pink hair tie in the right side of your hair with a ribbon on it. Kou’s was a matching swimsuit of that style, but hers was a pink frilly top and purple bikini styled bottoms. She had a purple flower clip in the left side of her hair which she’s taken out the pony tail and left down. You had matching black bracelets on too.

“Are we gonna start this game or what!?” Kou exclaimed, making everyone snap out of their thoughts to look at her.

“Heck yeah!” Nagisa cheered, running through the sand to grab the ball.

“Rei and Kou on my team! Makoto, Haruka and [first name], you three are the other team! Losing team cleans up for the rest of the trip! One round!” Nagisa stated, standing at one side of the net. Kou and Rei glared at him, but reluctantly joined his side. Makoto, Haruka and you all looked at each other.

“Um… which one of us is quickest?” Makoto asked, looking between Haruka and yourself. Haruka cleared his throat.

“That would probably be [first name]” Haruka answered, pointing at you. Makoto chuckled.

“Yeah, she probably is the most nimble. Can you be the back?” Makoto asked, making you look at him.

“Sure, I’ll cover the back!” You announced, pumping a fist into the air. They smiled, walking to the front of the net. You walked and stood between them at the back.

“We’re going first, okay? Nagisa! Serve!” Kou stated, making Nagisa wink and stick his tongue out. He held the ball on his hand, then served it up over the net. Makoto returned the first hit, which made Rei jump up and spike it over our side of the net. Hakura wasn’t quick enough to get the ball and Makoto was recovering from his descent. So you dashed forward, cupping your hands and dove, hitting the ball up into the air as you skidded forward into the sand. Haruka ran beside you, jumping up and spiked it back over their side of the net. During that time, you’d managed to pick yourself up off the ground and had jumped back into your spot. Rei and Kou were too far away to get the ball and Nagisa missed horribly. The ball bounced on the sand by him and rolled away. Makoto jumped in triumph, turning to beam a bright smile at Haruka and yourself.

“Aww man… now we have to do all the cleanup…” Nagisa whined, pouting from where he stood. Kou glared at him, stepping to him and began pulling on his ear.

“This is all your fault! You shouldn’t have come up with that stupid deal!” Kou yelled into Nagisa’s ear, pulling at it. Nagisa winced, trying to jump closer to her so she wasn’t pulling so hard.

“Sorry Gou…” Nagisa apologized, earning a harder yank from Kou.

“It’s Kou!” she corrected, finally letting him have a break. Rei turned to smile at you three.

“Congratulations you three, you just got out of all the cleaning” Rei congratulated with a genuine smile. You giggled, smiling at the two of them before Hakura paused, looking like he’d noticed something.

“You’re covered in sand…” he stated, making you look down at yourself. He was right, both yourself and your swimsuit were covered in sand from when you’d dived to save the ball. A giggle escaped you as you smiled at them, sticking a little of your tongue out to the side like Nagisa does occasionally. Makoto and Haruka chuckled in response.

The other team had begun bickering amongst themselves, so the three of you ended up laughing in unison. Suddenly Makoto straightened himself, placing his hands firmly on his hips.

“Alright team! Let’s swim!” Makoto announced loudly. Nagisa, Rei and Kou stopped arguing, glancing at him, then nodded, cheering in unison. You glanced at Haruka to see him smiling back at you. The juniors were adorably cute, you couldn’t help but smile.

“Makoto! Makoto! What’s Gou doing?” Nagisa asked, running to him and standing in front of him. Kou ran after him, then tugged on his ear again.

“It’s Kou!” She yelled into his ear. Nagisa winced, then looked at Makoto expectantly.

“Kou, will you stay here and keep Miss Amakata company? We also need to make sure our stuff doesn’t get stolen…” Makoto asked. Kou nodded, smiling happily and skipped off to where Miss Amakata sat under her parasol. You all turned to Makoto who pointed in the direction of the first island.

“That’s our destination today. Let’s make it there and make before sunset!” Makoto announced. Nagisa cheered, making Rei and Haruka sigh in unison at his childish behavior. You glanced out at the island, beginning to feel a little worried. You didn’t have the best stamina, you could barely swim 400 metres before you became exhausted. Sensing your worry, Makoto turned to smile at you.

“Don’t worry. If you get tired, just let me know. We’ll figure something out” Makoto reassured, smiling gently at you. You nodded hesitantly, then watched as Nagisa, Rei and Haruka ran out into the water, jumping in and beginning to swim across to the island. After a final sigh, Makoto issued for you to go in before him. You gave him a puzzled look in response.

“In case you tire and slow down. It’s so we don’t get separated. I’ll trail the end” Makoto told you. You nodded, wading into the water slowly, then began swimming freestyle towards the island. When you couldn’t see, you’d switch to breaststroke. The others were way off ahead of you, making you grimace in annoyance. Suddenly Makoto appeared alongside you, smiling like he always did.

“Don’t worry too much about them. You just go at your own pace, okay [first name]?” Makoto reassured, dropping back so he was behind you. After a heavy inhale and exhale, you continued swimming after them towards the island.

After what felt like forever, you finally saw the island draw closer and closer. Eventually you made it close to the shore.

“Hey, hey! In here! Look at what I just found!” Nagisa exclaimed, catching everyone’s attention. You glanced at Makoto to see him glancing at the sky worriedly. You raised a brow, swimming a little closer to him.

“Makoto? What’s wrong?” You asked, seeing him turn to look at you.

“I’m a little worried about the time… I don’t think we’re gonna make it back before sunset… and swimming at night in the ocean is dangerous… We already had a near mishap last year” Makoto replied, making your eyes widen in shock.

“Last year? What happened?” You asked in curiosity. Makoto gave you a slightly sad smile.

“Rei went out swimming at night to try and get stronger, but a storm hit and he couldn’t make it back to shore. I went out to try and save him, but I almost drowned. If Haruka and Nagisa hadn’t been there, both of us wouldn’t be here today” Makoto replied, his voice shaking a little at the end. Your eyes widened considerably. He’d almost drowned? A sudden exclamation made both Makoto and you jump, looking at the huge cave you’d last seen them enter.

“Makoto! [First name]! You two have got to come check this out!” Nagisa suddenly yelled from inside. Sighing in relief that nothing bad had happened, you both waded into the cave, gasping at the sight you immediately saw. The entire top of the cave was covered in beautiful, blue glowing lights. They were almost the same color as Hakura’s eyes, if you had to compare them to anything. You all just stood there in the knee deep water, staring up at the blue lights that had you all mesmerized. You felt a smile form on your face as you stared up at the lights.

“Are these glow worms?” Rei asked, looking up at them, equally as impressed.

“I think so… Haruka and I stumbled on a smaller cave like this last year, but nothing this impressive” Makoto responded. After a few more seconds, Makoto plastered on his serious look.

“Look guys, I know this is a beautiful place, but we really need to think about heading back. It’ll be dark soon and we still need to make the swim back” Makoto announced. Nagisa pouted, but everyone all agreed. Undoubtedly due to what had happened last time. You all turned and left the cave, heading back to the other island. By this time, your stamina was long gone, and you found yourself struggling to catch up. Pant, after pant, after pant, your struggles against the water became almost worthless as you found yourself at a standstill. You stopped, moving your arms and legs, struggling just to stay afloat. The sun was beginning to set, and you’d barely made any progress away from the island. Makoto glanced up at the sky, then at how far you had left to go. The other three had moved on and were more than halfway there.

“I’m sorry Makoto… I just don’t have any more strength left…” you apologized, looking at him with a sorry expression. He turned, giving you a warm smile.

“Don’t be. We all have something we’re not good at… In your case, its stamina, in my case, it’s courage” Makoto reassured you, swimming closer to you just as you began struggling to stay above the water. He grabbed your arm, tugging you up so your face was completely out the water, then pulled you closer to him.

“You might want to grab on… We’ll have to get back to our island as quickly as possible. A storm’s coming…” Makoto stated. You listened to him, grabbing onto his shoulders as he moved you so you were behind him. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders and collarbone, being careful not to strangle him. Makoto began trying to swim back to the island as quickly as he could, however, it was in vain. The storm hit in a matter of minutes, making the waves move about violently against you.

“Makoto… What do we do?” You asked, looking around at the sky in fear. It didn’t look like it was going to spurt down lightning any time soon, but the rain and wind made it impossible to swim. Makoto looked like he was in serious thought, but you didn’t get a chance to ask again as a sudden wave smashed over you both. You felt your grip around him loosen and suddenly you’d slipped off. You tried to fight against the water, to get up to the surface, but the current pushed you further down, and eventually you couldn’t see anything at all. Just the sound of pure and utter silence. It was calming, and you felt your eyes close as you relaxed.


	6. Cold Stormy Night

Chapter 6  
Cold Stormy Night

 

(Makoto’s P.O.V)  
[First name] had been struggling to swim back to the island and time was running out, quickly. So I got her to hold onto my neck and shoulders while I tried to get us back quickly. I could see she was exhausted, being low on stamina could do that to anyone, but despite even my best efforts, we were trapped in the middle of the ocean when the storm hit hard. Waves crashed over us relentlessly and suddenly I felt the grip around my neck disappear. I gasped, surfacing and inhaling deeply. I looked around and behind me, desperately searching for any trace of her. She was my responsibility, I couldn’t let her get hurt! After a few seconds of no trace of her, I felt an incredibly painful stabbing feeling in my chest and gut, and I was struggling to remain calm. More waves battered against me, but I inhaled, diving down and began looking for her. The current was strong, with her stamina there was no way she’d be able to fight against it.

I scanned the area desperately when I spotted something nearby me. I felt my eyes widen considerably when I got a better look. [First name]’s eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly open. I grabbed her and pulled her up to the surface as quickly as I could. Upon surfacing, I inhaled deeply, looking at which way was the quickest to get to shore. My only choice was to go back to the island we’d just been at. Making sure to keep her head above the water, I began side swimming back to the shore. It took a frustratingly long few minutes and when I felt my feet touch the ground, I held onto [first name] tightly as I dragged us both onto the sand. I laid her down on the sand, far away from the water, and looked at her.

Her skin had become ghostly pale and she was completely still. I felt my heart stop for a second and I instinctively reached out and grabbed her wrist, feeling for a pulse. I felt my blood freeze in my veins when I couldn’t feel anything. Panic began to set in my mind as I quickly scooted forward, tilting her head back and used one hand to pull down her chin while the other pinched her nose. I inhaled deeply, not even thinking for a second and my lips met hers. I exhaled as hard as I could, then quickly inhaled again, breathing it into her lungs. I pulled away, pressing one hand on top of the other in the middle of her chest, and began pressing into her, doing compressions. I counted in my head for thirty of them, then repeated the same process. My mind was jumbled and I found feel tears forming in my eyes. I was stressed, scared and imagining life without her, and it was making my heart feel like it was being carved out by a blunt knife. I pleaded and pleaded as I did my compressions for her to return. Suddenly she jolted and began sounding like she was going to throw up.

I quickly turned her onto her side so she could cough up the water she’d swallowed. She coughed up quite a bit, but her eyes never opened. Once she’d recovered from her coughing fit, her breathing returned to normal and she laid there like she’d fallen asleep on the beach. I sighed in relief at seeing she was breathing and feeling a pulse through her wrist. I felt my strength leave me as I collapsed onto the sand next to her, trembling from the adrenaline. I glanced at her as I laid on my side, thankful to see the color had returned to her cheeks. Thank goodness she was still alive. I reached out a shaky hand and brushed some hair away from her face, studying her facial shape. Her cheek bones were well developed and her jaw was narrow, but most girl’s faces were like that, even my little sister’s would be like that one day. Her eye lashes were really long, and her skin was incredibly soft. She looked almost like a doll, laying asleep like that, so pure and innocent. You wouldn’t have even guessed that her family was having issues at the moment from looking at her like this. As I lay there, thinking to myself while I rested a hand by her cheek, a sudden crash of lightning and thunder snapped me out of my trace. I gasped, sitting up quickly as I looked up at the sky. If lightning was going to come crashing down, we’d need shelter.

I stood, looking around desperately for some form of shelter, but the island only had two options. The cave with the glow worms, or the forest with god only knew what animals in it. I ended up choosing the cave, at least it had shelter from the rain and wind. I could barely hear what I was saying to myself due to the loud wind, but I managed to kneel down, scooping her up into my arms. She was incredibly light, compared to what I thought she’d be like. Glancing down at her, I looked around for the entrance to the cave. Wading into the cave, I looked around at the beautiful sight of the glow worms again. The water had become freezing and I shivered. I could hear the lightning and thunder outside, battling against the sound of the wind.

What were the others doing right now? Were they worried about us and preparing to search for us in the morning? Maybe they were already searching at the moment? I hoped that wasn’t true, I didn’t want them in danger.

Looking around for a spot, I found a flat rock and hoisted myself on there, pulling [first name] up next to me. Now that I was out the water, at least my feet weren’t freezing now. New problem, I was still freezing though. I could see [first name]’s lips turning a little blue and I gasped. I picked her up, cradling her gently in my arms when a thought entered my head. I sat down, pulling her close to me and hugged her tightly in my arms. I rested her head near my chest and shoulder, wrapping my legs around her, keeping her tightly in my arms. I was already beginning to feel a little warmer, and I could only pray that she was getting warmer too. I looked at her sleeping face, feeling a small smile form on my face. She looked so peaceful and I couldn’t help but hug her closer to myself. It just felt… right for some reason. Why did I feel this overpowering need to protect her and be by her side? Wait…! Could this be… love!?

My cheeks lit up furiously at my thoughts and I stuttered to myself for a few seconds, before just looking at her face relaxed me. I felt my shoulders slouch as I sighed. How did she feel about me though? Did she see anything past ‘Captain of the Swim Team’? We’d known each other for about four months now, but that didn’t mean anything in particular. A cold shiver ran down my spine, making me flinch and begin shivering madly. If I was cold, she must’ve been too. Hugging her closer, being sure to tuck her feet in so they weren’t out in the cold, I made sure no part of her remained freezing. I didn’t mind freezing if it meant she could stay warm. Her arms were actually quite thin, same with her legs. Hardly much muscle there at all, if I had to rate her weight on a scale, it’d be just over ‘underweight’.

 

It felt like a few hours had passed when the rain and lightning finally let up. I’d jumped every time some lightning had struck, but I managed to keep pulling myself together every time I felt her in my arms. I had to keep together if she was going to have any hope. I was the only person who could keep her safe, the only one who could look after her. Finally I could see some light shine in from in the cave entrance. I heaved a heavy sigh of relief as I felt her shift suddenly. I looked down, seeing her eye lids twitching. Slowly her eyes opened and her green eyes greeted my own. I smiled gently down at her as she focused on my face.

“Hey… how’re you feeling?” I asked automatically as she lifted a hand, sleepily rubbing her eyes. She shifted, lifting her head from my shoulder as she looked around.

“Heavy… Like I’ve eaten too much food or something… and sleepy…” she answered, supporting herself as I let her go. She looked around, then looked up at the roof of the cave.

“We’re in the glow worm cave?” she asked. I nodded, crossing my legs and holding my ankles in my hands.

“You suddenly got swept down by the water during the storm. I managed to find you and brought us here under the shelter of the cave” I replied, keeping the fact that I’d had to revive her a secret. I didn’t need her freaking out about almost dying. But she didn’t seem very affected, or scared about the fact that she almost drowned. Raising a brow, I shuffled closer to her. She noticed, looking up at me.

“You seem very calm… I remember I was freaking out for the first few hours…” I admitted, seeing her giggle a little into her hand.

“I can see that, quite clearly” she teased, making my cheeks heat up as I looked away in a pout. She was enjoying teasing me, little brat. She suddenly stopped, looking down at her knees as I paused, looking at her. She was looking so sad, I felt a pang in my chest. I shuffled closer, putting an arm over her shoulder gently. She looked up at me, clearly confused.

“I’m here if you ever need to talk… You don’t have to suffer alone” I reassured, seeing a small smile form on her face. Yes! Accomplishment! She smiled, gently letting her head rest in the crook of my shoulder and neck. My cheeks lit up furiously and I could feel them burn painfully. She didn’t seem to notice at all. She did that a lot, make me blush so furiously I thought I was on fire. How did she have that kind of power over me? I could feel her relax so I placed a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t seem to mind, in fact she leaned closer. My heart was beating rapidly in my chest, feeling like it was being lodged into my throat.

“Makoto… I almost died, didn’t I?” she asked, making me look at her in shock. She knew? How? Was it the CPR? Oh no… Was she mad about it? I technically kissed her! But it was to bring her back! But girls were sensitive about that stuff, weren’t they? I gulped nervously.

“Y-Yes… You did…” I told her, hearing her sigh to herself. She wasn’t reacting how normal girls did. Was she upset? She looked up at me, seeing my confused expression.

“To tell the truth… When I got swept under… I was calm… I wasn’t scared… I don’t know if it was the exhaustion, or just the stress from everything that’s been happening… But as I was getting swept under… I suddenly thought, ‘You know, maybe this is for the best…’” she answered, making my eyes widen as my grip on her tightened. She winced a little, looking up at me in shock. I don’t know what kind of expression I was wearing, but she looked terrified.

“Don’t… Don’t ever think that again! The entire time I was trying to bring you back, I kept pleading! I kept pleading for you to come back! Don’t you understand [first name]! People care! Don’t ever think it’d be better if you died!!” I yelled, my voice getting louder with every sentence until my voice broke on the final sentence. I lowered my head, looking down and feeling my shoulders tremble.

“I care… I don’t want the water to take even more from me than it already has…” I whispered, feeling my shoulders shake as my eyes begun stinging. I remained like that for about half a minute before a hand rested on my shoulder. I looked up at her to see her gently smiling. She pulled my arm off her shoulder, then shuffled so she was kneeling by me, then wrapped her arms around my shoulders, resting her head beside mine. I froze at the sudden hug, feeling the tears begin falling down my cheeks. Damnit, I’d tried so hard to stop them too.

“Thank you Makoto! I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to upset you… I never realized this was a touchy subject. And thank you for reminding me… With my parents constantly arguing, I guess I forgot others could care too… Thank you” she thanked, her voice shaking too. She sounded like she was about to break down into tears. I felt my body relax as I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her in close. Her shoulders were shaking and I could feel wet drops hitting my shoulder. My heart gave a sharp pang at the thought of her crying, and I lifted my arms, gripping her shoulders gently as I pulled her away, smiling up at her. The tears were falling like rivers down her face and her hands were gripping my shoulders tightly. I pushed her gently so she was sitting down instead of kneeling, and lifted one hand, wiping at the tears on her face. She sniffed loudly, her cheeks turning red. I’m not sure if it was from crying or some other reason.

“Look at us, crying while being stuck in a cave on an uninhabited island. If this were a TV show, I bet we’d be being laughed at right now” I joked, seeing her laugh a little. I felt my smile grow as I continued wiping the tears from her face. She smiled gently at me, reaching a hand up and I felt her finger touch my face. I jumped for a second, then relaxed as I realized she was wiping the tears from my face. I chuckled in response, feeling one tear escape and fall down.

“Since you were honest… I’ll be honest as well. I’m actually scared of the ocean…” I stated, looking down sadly as [first name] shifted onto her legs so she was kneeling in front of me. She gave me a concerned look.

“And you were forced to accept this camp because of me… I’m so sorry…” she apologized, but I shook my head.

“No… I don’t regret a second of this, I like to believe this event has made us closer, if anything… But yeah, I’m scared of the ocean because of when I was little. There was this kind fisherman that used to be nice to Haruka and I. He gave me some goldfish he’d won at the festival and I looked after them as best I could… But they died after the fisherman’s boat was caught in a storm… It sank and he drowned…” I finished as I looked up, seeing [first name] giving me a sad look.

“Makoto…” she whispered, but I gave her a smile in return. We sat there like that for a few seconds until a sudden grumble roared loudly in the cave. I blinked at her in shock as she gave me the same look in return. Both our faces turned red and we looked away from each other awkwardly.

“I guess I’m a little hungry, huh?” I asked, seeing her nod.

“Yeah, apparently I am too” she replied, making me blink in realization.

“Your stomach went off then too?” I asked in disbelief. She giggled, nodding. I chuckled in response, hearing her laugh as well before we just burst into hysterical giggles. After a few minutes, I finally stood, dusting off my swim suit and offered her my hand. She accepted, gripping my hand tightly and I took note on how much smaller her hand was compared to mine. I pulled her up gently to her feet and jumped down from the rock, helping her land on her feet when she jumped next to me. Still holding her hand tightly, I let her out the cave and we walked up the sandy shore of the beach.

“What’re we going to do about food?” [First name] asked, giving me a puzzled look. I thought to myself, looking around when I spotted some familiar yellow fruits on a tree nearby.

“I’ll be right back, just wait here and I’ll be back with some food” I stated, letting go of her hand and jogging towards the tree. She had been hesitant to let go of my hand, and when I turned back to look at her, she was standing where I’d left her, watching me worriedly. Did she think I was going to leave her or something? Or maybe she was worried I was going to get hurt…? Either way, I beamed a smile to her.

“Makoto! Look out!” she yelled suddenly and I turned, feeling something smack into me harshly. I wrapped my arms around what I’d hit, feeling something coarse and almost wood like. Peeling my face away, I realized I’d run right into the tree. I gave a nervous chuckle as I peeled myself off the tree, turning to give her a thumbs up. She blinked at me before bursting into giggles, clutching her sides. Was my face that messed up or something? Or was it the fact that I’d run into the tree. I gave her a weak glare, before turning and beginning to climb up the tree. Reaching the bananas, I grabbed a bunch, yanking them off the tree. I slid down the tree just as [first name] ran to me.

“You spotted bananas? Good thinking Makoto!” she cheered, smiling brightly. Breaking off three bananas, I handed her those ones. She accepted gratefully, sitting down as I did the same. I couldn’t watch her eat them though, my mind kept entering the gutter, so I looked down and ate my own quickly. Why did my mind keep making me think of such perverted things? Come on, for Christ’s sake! I’m on an uninhabited island with a girl that I rescued and my mind’s making me think of things like a blow- gah!! No! Brain! Don’t even go there! Shaking my head to rid myself of my thoughts, [first name] didn’t even look like she’d noticed. I sighed shakily as I came to terms with my own thoughts and feelings. I was in love with [first name], and if not, I had one hell of a huge crush on her.

 

After finally eating the bananas we had for breakfast, I stood, stretching my arms. [First name] looked up at me curiously.

“Come on, we should begin the trek back. We’ve eaten, and if we wait any longer they’ll be getting really worried. We should let them know we’re alright” I explained, seeing her smile and nod. I offered her my hand again, seeing her accept and I pulled her up to her feet. She sighed shakily, looking out at the water.

“Let’s try round two, huh? Hang on to me, and I’ll get us across quickly. The sooner the better” I offered, seeing her look at me.

“Would you do that for me? Really?” she asked. I couldn’t help but chuckle in response.

“Of course, you’re my really close friend” I replied, wading into the water and reaching my hand out to her. I beamed a smile as she placed her hand into the palm of mine and I led us out to the water. Her grip on my hand tightened and I gave it a gentle squeeze. When our feet left the bottom of the sand, I felt her arms link around my neck and shoulders. The grip around my neck was tight, but not enough to strangle me. Her chest rested against my back, and I could hear her kicking her legs to try and help us across. I began swimming back to the island, thankful that the weather had let up and was back to bright and sunny. As I kicked my legs, they tangled up with hers occasionally. I blushed as I could feel her heartbeat through my back, but I shook my head, continuing to move my arms to get us across.

 

We managed to save a lot of time as we made it across the water and to the beach where our friends were. Somehow, they were all standing there, awaiting our arrival. As I waded through the last of the water, I felt [first name] let go of my neck and stood on her own two feet. I grabbed her hand gently and helped her across the water and onto the sand. Haruka, Nagisa, Rei, Kou and Miss Amakata were smiling at us while looking like they were about to burst into tears.

“Makoto! [First name]! You’re both alive!!” Nagisa exclaimed, running to me and jumping on me in a hug. I nearly fell backwards and was forced to let go of [first name]’s hand. Rei rushed to us as well.

“You’re alright… What happened?” Rei asked, smiling as Haruka walked to us as well.

“We got caught in the storm and had to go back to seek shelter…” [First name] suddenly said. I turned to look at her as Nagisa let me go. She winked at me, making me blink in realization. She wanted to keep the whole ‘almost drowning’ thing a secret. I smiled, returning to look at the others.

“Well thank goodness you two are alright… I was afraid I was going to have to contact the police…” Miss Amakata said in relief. Kou had been looking at us as she fought off tears, but suddenly cried out as she ran to [first name], hugging her tightly and sobbing. [First name] froze for a second, but held Kou tightly as she comforted her.

“I was so worried! I thought you’d drowned for sure!” Kou exclaimed, sobbing into [first name]’s shoulder. [First name] glanced at me, giving me a knowing smile. If only she knew.


	7. Relaxation and Bubbles

Chapter 7  
Relaxation and Bubbles

 

“Seen as another incident happened, I’m calling off the training. However, we’re not going home. We’ll still be swimming, just in a safer environment. And it’s something even I can join in on too!” Miss Amakata stated, beaming a smile at you all. You raised a brow, confused by what she meant. Where were you guys going then?

“Miss Amakata, where are we going then?” Kou asked, asking the question on everyone’s lips. Miss Amakata smiled happily.

“We’re going to an onsen!” she announced happily. Nagisa, Kou and Rei all exclaimed happily and you heard Haruka make a strange sound. You turned curiously, blinking in shock at the look of disgust and utter disapproval on his face. Makoto sighed, turning to look at Haruka with an apologetic smile. That’s odd, you thought Haruka loved water. But before objections could be voiced, suddenly you were all in a bus to the hot springs. Nagisa sat beside Rei, Miss Amakata sat in front of them, Kou and you sat behind them, and then Makoto and Haruka sat behind the two of you.

“Great…” Haruka mumbled to himself. This was the most you’d heard Haruka object to something, so turning to look behind you, you asked the big question on your mind.

“Haruka, if you don’t mind me asking, why don’t you like hot springs?” you asked, seeing Haruka’s eyes widen a little. Makoto chuckled a little.

“I can’t stand the heat…” Haruka mumbled, looking away in a little pout. You blinked for a few seconds, then giggled.

“Wow, you must really hate summer then…” you stated, in which Haruka looked at you with a horrified expression.

“No! I love summer! I can swim all I want!” Haruka objected, his cheeks bright red. You burst into more giggles at this and Makoto couldn’t help but laugh as well. Haruka pouted, looking away like a little boy that just got told he couldn’t bake cookies that day.

“[first name], so, what do you want to do first when we get there? Everything’s available! There’s the women’s baths, there’s the hot rock massages, there’s the beautification treatments, or there’s the sauna!” Kou asked excitedly, making you turn to look at her. She seemed to be practically glowing with excitement. Her eyes were twinkling with little stars as she shoved the pamphlet into your hands. You looked through the choices, then pointed out the hot rock massages.

“We could do this one, that’ll relieve all the tension in our bodies and allow us to enjoy the soak better. This is an onsen, right? Will we get to wear those yukatas I keep seeing in the movies?” you asked, seeing Kou nod excitedly. You giggled in excitement.

“I’ve always wanted to wear one of those cute yukatas, they look so adorable on the girls in the movies” you stated, seeing Kou begin to fangirl.

“And so hot on the men! It shows off all the muscles in the right places!” she exclaimed, making you sweat drop nervously. The other travelers had begun to give you both strange looks. You elbowed her sharply, making her calm down. You both began whispering about the trip and had to quickly cover Kou’s mouth every time she started to squeal.

 

Arriving at the hot spring, you looked around at your surroundings. The hot springs were located in the hills, so surrounding the building were lots of trees and a small river. You could hear locusts chirping in the trees nearby, giving the place a calm feeling. Kou clung to your arm and begun shaking you.

“We’re here! We’re here! Come on!!” she squealed, suddenly pulling you off your feet. You struggled to catch up, tripping a few times before you were able to run after her. You glanced behind you to see the boys watching you two, clearly confused. Miss Amakata was smiling happily as she walked off to check you all in. After a little running, you finally tired and had to stop to catch your breath, panting heavily. Kou gave you an apologetic look, then looked around. You glanced up at her, raising a brow. She sighed, giving you another apologetic look.

“We… appear to be lost…” she stated, making you hang your head in a sigh. It’d be just like Kou to get you two lost in such a building.

“Let’s just find a staff member and ask them…” you stated, standing upright and beginning to lead the way. Kou grabbed the sleeve of your jacket to ensure you didn’t get separated. After a little searching, you came across a young man. He was wearing a kimono with the logo of the hot springs on it. He was in his late teens to early twenties, with long black hair tied back in a loose ponytail, and brown eyes that almost could be mistaken for red in the right light. When he saw the two of you, he beamed a smile.

“Hello, is there something I can help you two young ladies with?” he asked politely, smiling charmingly at the two of you.

“Yeah, we’ve lost our way. Where was it we wanted to go again Kou?” you asked, turning to look at her. She jumped at the sudden mention of her name, turning to you.

“Huh? Oh, we wanted to go to the hot rock massage” she stated. You nodded, turning to look at the young man. He chuckled, folding his hands into the sleeves of his kimono.

“The hot rock massages? Very well, follow me” he stated, turning and beginning to lead the way. You jogged after him, feeling Kou still clinging to your arm. He was walking briskly but as you continued jogging, you were able to keep up with him. You couldn’t tell if he just didn’t notice, or if he was just desperate to get rid of you two. This guy was really hard for you to read, it was like he wore a mask. In less than a minute, the two of you had arrived in a room.

“Here, enjoy your stay ladies” the man fare welled, then turned and left. You both looked at each other, stepping further into the room as hostesses walked in, smiling at the two of you.

“We’d like to try the hot rock massages” Kou explained, letting go of your arm as she stepped closer to the hostesses. One of the ladies had dark brown hair tied up in a high bun with blue eyes, and the second was an older lady with light brown hair and brown eyes.

“Of course, come this way ladies” the younger lady stated, patting the two beds standing there.

“You will need to remove your clothes first and have a quick shower in those rooms, then come out in the towels provided. Once you are done with the massage, we will fit you with yukatas” the older lady explained, pointing the two of you to the showers.

 

After a quick shower, you emerged in your towel with Kou not far behind and stepped into the room with the ladies. They beamed a smile at you two as you laid down on one of the beds. The lady placed your towel over your rear and began preparing the rocks. You turned your head to see Kou had the same done to her. Once the rock touched your bare skin, you jumped a little in surprise at just how hot it actually was. The lady began massaging the rock into your upper back and shoulder and you instantly began relaxing. It felt heavenly. All the stress of the past few weeks instantly melted away as you let your shoulder slack and your eyes close in bliss.

 

Once you were both fitted with yukatas, you and Kou wandered the halls until you found the rooms Miss Amakata had booked. You slid the door open, seeing the boys in there for some reason. Makoto, Haruka, Rei and Nagisa were all sitting in their dark blue yukatas, glancing up at the two of you upon your arrival. You blushed, almost putting your red and pink yukata to shame, but managed to look away and hide it. Kou covered her mouth to prevent herself from squealing in delight. You glanced at her when you heard her squeal, then sighed when you saw the blush and sparkles in her eyes.

“[first name], Gou? Why’re you two here already?” Nagisa asked, blinking in confusion. Kou glared at him upon the use of her real name.

“How many times do I have to tell you!? Kou!” Kou corrected angrily. Nagisa gave her a confused look.

“Does it really matter?” Nagisa pondered, seeing Kou stomp angrily to him.

“Yes it matters! Call me Kou!” Kou exclaimed, making you smile.

“Gou”

“Kou!”

“Gou”

“Kou!”

“Kou”

“Gou! Not again!!” Kou suddenly exclaimed, clutching her head in her hands as she growled angrily. Nagisa just laughed, beaming a smile.

“I can’t believe you fell for it again Gou!” he stated, chuckling as you began giggling into your hands. Makoto had begun smiling as Haruka glared out the window at the hot spring outside. Rei was pouring himself some more green tea, trying to ignore the bickering nonsense behind him.

“Did you guys try out anything yet?” you asked curiously, walking to the table the three others were sitting around, then knelt down near where Makoto was sitting.

“We tried, but Haruka didn’t want to do anything… It was all too hot for his liking. Nagisa got to try the sauna though” Makoto explained, smiling at you. You raised a brow, looking at Haruka. Before you could question anything though, Rei interrupted you.

“We had to go in and drag Nagisa out though, he passed out after about fifteen minutes” Rei stated, making you burst out into giggles as Nagisa looked at him in dismay.

“Rei! How could you tell them that!? Now I sound so lame!” Nagisa whined, crawling to him and clinging to his arm, shaking him. Kou knelt next to you, grabbing a cup and pouring herself some tea.

“Well, that’s the reason we came back to the room anyway… I’m planning on trying out the hot spring later tonight. Haruka says he might try the massages, the ones without the hot rocks anyway. Rei said he wanted to try the hot rocks though” Makoto explained.

“The hot rocks massage is heavenly, I think you’ll enjoy it Rei” you stated, seeing Rei’s face light up with your approval. Kou looked around the room curiously.

“So, what’s happening with bed arrangements?” Kou asked, making all eyes lock on her.

“The girls could sleep here with us!” Nagisa suddenly exclaimed, being smacked in the face by Kou’s hand. He was pushed onto the ground, rubbing near his temple in pain.

“No…” Kou merely stated, making you look at her.

“I doubt they’d try anything Kou… I slept in the same room as Makoto last night and nothing happened then… Mind you, I was kind of passed out… So I don’t really know if something happened or not…” you mumbled, pulling your yukata up more as you gave Makoto a small glare. He blinked in surprise, his cheeks turning a little red.

“Makoto… What did you do?” Nagisa urged, giving him a glare. Makoto jumped, looking at Nagisa in shock. His cheeks went bright red as he began to stutter.

“N-Nothing happened!” he exclaimed, sweat forming on his brow. Haruka glanced at him with a small glare, which also earned a glare from Rei and Kou. Makoto gulped, clenching his hands in fists.

“Nothing happened guys!” he exclaimed, making you giggle. This cued the laughter in the room as everyone began laughing. Makoto looked at everyone in disbelief, then looked down in embarrassment. His cheeks were tinged with red as he was probably thinking about the best way to murder all of you.

Knocking on the door caught your attention as the room went silent. The door slid open and the young man that had helped you and Kou was kneeling by the door politely. He beamed a smile at you all, sliding a tray into the room.

“Greetings, my name is Takeshi Harada, I will be looking after you all for the night. If you require anything, please do not hesitate to ask. Here is a refill for your green tea” Takeshi stated, still smiling as he slid the tray closer to you. You thanked him with a smile, grabbing the tea and placing it on the table. Takeshi slid the tray back to himself, picking it up and holding it by his chest. He bowed politely and shuffled back, sliding the door shut. You glanced back at Kou, seeing her eyes sparkling. You raised a brow in question.

“He’s hot! Isn’t he hot [first name]?” Kou suddenly squealed, grabbing your shoulders and shaking you violently back and forth. The room began to spin as you were shaken and you struggled to concentrate on something. Finally the shaking stopped and Kou was looking straight at you.

“I… I guess… I can’t say he’s not attractive at the very least… But he’s not really my type…” you admitted, seeing Kou look at you in disbelief. You could’ve sworn you saw Makoto sigh in relief. Kou looked at the door where Takeshi had last been, her eyes shining as a blush coated her cheeks.

“I think I’m in love” she declared, making you gasp at her. You let your mouth hang open in disbelief.

“Kou, you barely know him!” you exclaimed, yelling into her ear. She winced, then looked up at you. She smiled bravely, placing her fist over her heart.

“I’ll be fine! But I guess you’re right… What should I do?” Kou asked, finally beginning to talk some sense. The boys were observing silently.

“Stay clear from him. Focus on other guys…” you suggested. Kou nodded, turning back to face the desk, then drank more of her tea. You smiled in content, drinking more of your own tea.

“So… what just happened?” Nagisa asked, having been left behind in that entire conversation. You glanced up at him with a smile.

“Girl talk. Don’t worry about it” you answered, easing Nagisa’s queries.

 

Several hours later, the bedding had been decided. The boys had one half of the room and the girls had the other half. There was a sliding, folded wall that was pulled to separate the room in two. However before you went to bed, you decided to go check out the hot spring. Wandering the halls, you finally found the door saying ‘hot springs’ on it. You opened the door, stepping in and shutting the door, then walked to the shower area. You recalled that Kou had told you that you were required to clean yourself before entering the hot spring.

Sitting down, you began taking your yukata off and then turned on the shower. You cleaned your body, grabbing the towel and waded into the water. You placed the towel on your head, submerging your body into the water until you were up to your neck. The water felt so good, the hot water was working wonders on your shoulders and back. As you relaxed yourself, you lost track of the time.

Suddenly you heard a splash near you, making you stand up with a gasp. Turning, you gasped at what you saw. You had already covered your chest with your hands, but when you saw who it was, you had to refrain from letting out a scream. Makoto was standing in the water, the water barely covering what it needed to, staring at you in shock. You felt your cheeks heat up as Makoto’s went bright red. You found yourself unable to move, just staring at him as he did the same.


	8. Revelations

Chapter 8  
Revelations

 

Your first instant reaction was to run, escape! You waded through the water when you saw Makoto’s eyes widen when he saw your back. You let out a yelp of fright when you realized he’d seen the birthmark on your back. You managed to reach the edge of the hot spring, jumping to your feet and running forward a step before you slipped on the spilt water. You felt your foot slip as the world began tumbling up quickly to meet you.

“Look out!” Makoto shouted, having managed to jump to the edge. He leapt forward, grabbing your arm and yanking you back onto his chest. You felt the warmth of his chest in your face and you glanced up, only to see the scenery around you was still moving.

SMACK

You closed your eyes as you heard the loud sound of the impact, but you felt no pain. You opened your eyes slowly to look up, seeing Makoto’s face twisted in pain. His eyes were squeezed shut and his teeth were grit together. His body felt rigid, but his grip on you was tight. You gasped when you realized he’d turned you both around so he was the one who landed on the ground and you landed safely on him.

“Are you… alright?” Makoto squeaked out, opening one eye to look at you. You gasped, realizing you were still on him.

“I-I’m fine… B-But…” you stuttered, hearing Makoto chuckle weakly. He gave you a weak smile.

“I’m glad… but… you’d better cover yourself…” Makoto wheezed out, his cheeks tinging red. You gasped, reaching out and grabbing your towel. You got off him quick, turning and wrapping the towel around yourself. Makoto sat up, doing the same with his own towel. When you turned around to face him, he was adjusting the final bits of his towel. Your face flushed and you looked away awkwardly.

“That’s better. Are you okay [first name]?” Makoto asked, stepping closer to you. You nodded, looking up at him. He was rubbing the back of his head, a goofy smile on his face.

“Why’d you do that?” you asked, seeing Makoto pause and blink at you in confusion. He tilted his head, raising a brow.

“What do you mean?” he asked, looking at you in confusion. You sighed sadly, looking down at the ground as you held the towel tightly over your chest.

“Why’d you save me from falling on the ground? You got hurt because of it… because of me,” you explained, seeing Makoto’s eyes widen. He blinked, seeming to be dumb struck. You sighed to yourself, looking down at your feet as you remembered his face twisted in pain. You didn’t want to see him wear that expression ever again. Suddenly hands grabbed your arms, twisting you to look at Makoto quickly. You gasped, feeling the world spin as you were turned. You felt something warm land on your lips and your eyes widened considerably. You froze in shock, seeing Makoto’s face right up close to your own, and you realized that Makoto was kissing you. Your brain and thoughts froze as you tried to process what was going on. What was happening? Why was he kissing you? It felt like the world had frozen in time as the kiss lasted for what felt like forever.

When he finally pulled away, both your cheeks were bright red. You stuttered, trying to process what had happened.

“Makoto, w-what’re you…?” you asked, feeling overwhelmed. Makoto gave you a longing look. His face looked so mature right now, there was no smile on his face, and his eyes were filled with nothing but raw emotion.

“Don’t you see? After last night, I finally realized…” Makoto explained, his cheeks flushing as he dropped the words on you, “I love you [first name],”

Your eyes widened as the words hit you. Surely he didn’t mean that kind of love, right? But maybe he did. You just didn’t know what to think anymore. You were standing in the cool night air, being held by a strong teenage boy, both clad in nothing but towels as he was proclaiming to love you. It sounded like something straight out of a romance novel. Makoto looked at you, remaining silent as you tried to process the events of the day.

“I don’t expect an answer straight away. I know you’re going through a lot at the moment, but just know that I’ll always be here for you,” Makoto finally said, breaking the silence as he hugged you tightly. You tensed, but relaxed into his hold as you felt his familiar warmth around you. Maybe you could get used to this. You’d always thought you didn’t need to rely on boys to get you through things, but maybe you could if it was Makoto? When you thought of spending your life together with someone, the only one that came to mind was him.

“Makoto, I’m willing to try,” you stated, feeling him pull you away and look at you. He looked a little confused.

“It won’t be straight up girlfriend and boyfriend, but I’m willing to give being in a relationship with you a try,” you explained, seeing the smile on his face light up like a beacon. He hugged you tightly to himself again, chuckling happily. You giggled happily in response, feeling like the world had gotten a little lighter off your shoulders. You weren’t sure if this relationship thing was going to work out, but the only way to know was to give it a try. Makoto finally let you go and you straightened up your towel.

“Well, want to go for a soak? Or should we return to the room?” Makoto asked. You glanced up at him.

“I’m heading back to the room. I’m tired…” you explained, seeing him smile and nod.

“I’ll stay here and soak a little. See you tomorrow morning then,” Makoto bid farewell, gently giving you a kiss on the cheek, then turned to walk back into the water. You grabbed your yukata, changing back into it and walked out. You looked closer at the door, seeing the words ‘Co-Ed Hot Springs’ written on it. Damn, if only you’d noticed that the first time.

When you finally returned to the room, Kou, Miss Amakata, Rei and Nagisa were all asleep. Haruka was sitting by the window, looking up at the moon. You tilted your head, walking to him and knelt on the ground in front of him, but kept some distance between the two of you. You knew Haruka liked his personal space.

“Haruka? Are you alright?” you asked, seeing his blue eyes lock onto your green ones. He gave a sigh, looking out the window again.

“I was just wondering how my parents were doing. They sent me a letter a few weeks ago. Once I finish High School, they want me to go to where they’re living and attend University there,” Haruka explained, making your eyes widen. Haruka’s parents were on the other side of Japan, so if Haruka ended up moving away, you’d barely get to see him at all. You felt like something stabbed your heart with a sharp carving knife and just left it there. Haruka had become a good friend to you too.

“I haven’t told anyone yet, not even Makoto. Makoto and I have been together since before we went to kindergarten, so I really don’t want to see the hurt expression on his face,” Haruka stated, making you look at your knees sadly. You imagined the hurt on Makoto’s face if he learnt that Haruka may end up moving away at the end of his third year, and it broke your spirit on the inside.

As if on cue, the sound of something landing on the ground caught your attention. You looked up, seeing Makoto standing there, having heard part of the conversation. He looked shocked and confused. But the biggest emotion on his face was hurt.

“Makoto…” Haruka whispered, realizing Makoto had heard the part of him having to leave. Makoto turned, not saying anything, and took a step out the door, before breaking off in a sprint. Haruka jumped to his feet, dashing to the door.

“Makoto! Wait! Makoto!!” Haruka yelled, dashing out the room and after him. You sat there, stunned by what had just happened. Without even having to think about it, you jumped to your feet and ran to the door, following after Haruka’s voice. You could only imagine the pain Makoto was going through, if it was enough to make him run away. It was probably similar to the pain you felt over the thought of your parents splitting up. Finally you found Makoto leaning against a pole outside in the courtyard, panting as Haruka stood nearby, remaining silent. You stayed put, remaining quiet. It wasn’t your place to interfere.

“Makoto…” Haruka stated, then stopped when he heard Makoto chuckle sadly.

“Look at me Haruka… I’ve become a sobbing mess at just the thought of you moving away…” Makoto said, wiping at his face with his arm. Haruka gave him a sad, sympathetic look.

“Makoto, nothing’s been decided yet… I can say no, and to tell the truth, I don’t want to go either… It’s just what my parents’ want,” Haruka explained, making Makoto gasp, looking at him with a tear stained face. You felt a sharp pain in your chest from the look on his face. Makoto honestly looked like his world had crumbled away around him, and now he’d just received a tiny glimmer of hope. Haruka gave him a tiny smile, then turned to look at you. Makoto followed his gaze, gasping when he saw you standing by the door frame, looking at him worriedly. Makoto sniffed, wiping at his face more with his hand.

“Sorry, I must’ve worried you [first name], some man I am,” Makoto apologized, belittling himself. You gave him a gentle smile and walked up to him. You reached into your pocket of your yukata, grabbing a handkerchief and dabbed at his face gently. Makoto flinched the first time, but relaxed as you patted his face dry. He gave you a gentle smile in return.

“Thanks [first name], I’ll try not to make you worry about me like that again,” Makoto apologized, gently taking your spare hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“I don’t mind. Just be yourself, okay?” you reassured, handing him the handkerchief so he could blow his nose. Makoto gripped the handkerchief in both hands and gave his nose a good blow as you turned to smile at Haruka. He gave you a gentle smile back, patting your shoulder in his hand as he walked off. Once he’d left, it was just you and Makoto standing in the room, looking at each other.

“Haruka must see you as someone he can trust… He’d never reveal that kind of info to just anyone,” Makoto said, looking at you with a small grin. You giggled, smiling back at him. Makoto smirked, offering you his arm. You blushed a little, but smiled, accepting his arm, linking yours over his as he began leading you back to the room. The walk back was short, but you were quite content, just having your arms linked together as you walked back. Makoto seemed quite happy too, his cheeks coated in a light pink.

“[first name], should we tell them?” Makoto asked, glancing down at you curiously. You looked up, realizing you’d stopped outside the door. You giggled, feeling your mischievous side kick in.

“I say we let them figure it out. Except Haruka, I think we should tell him straight away,” you replied, seeing him nod in agreement. He slid the door open, walking you both inside as he held your hand tightly in his.

“See you tomorrow morning,” Makoto stated, kissing your cheek as he squeezed your hands, then let them go as he turned to go to bed. You walked to your futon beside Kou, laying down and watched Makoto pull the blind across to separate the rooms. He gave you a smile as you smiled back, laying down. The moment you rested your head against the pillow, you were out like a light.

 

The day of your return finally arrived. You all sat in the bus, travelling back home. You sat next to Kou, listening to her babble excitedly about the hot springs and how hot she still thought Takashi was. You giggled, realizing this crush was probably going to last a while. You still wondered how she could get a crush just like that, she barely knew the guy.

“So, did you enjoy the trip [first name]?” Nagisa asked, jumping up so he was looking over his seat to where you and Kou sat. You fondly remembered last night and smiled, nodding. Nagisa giggled, smiling brightly at you both.

“I can’t believe we have to go home today…” Nagisa whined as he turned and sat back down. Rei sighed, adjusting his glasses.

“It was unavoidable… Though I will admit I did enjoy myself,” Rei admitted, chuckling as well. You giggled in response, turning to look behind you, about to ask Haruka and Makoto if they enjoyed themselves, but stopped. You smiled gently at the scene you saw. Haruka had fallen asleep, resting his head on Makoto’s shoulder, and Makoto was also asleep, resting his cheek on Haruka’s head. You giggled quietly, finding the scene adorable. Kou noticed, peering over the top of her chair, then grabbed her camera, snapping a quick shot. You turned around quickly, looking at the shot she got, giggling happily. Kou giggled with you, snickering a little.

“This makes perfect blackmail, see? Now I can get them to swim those extra laps of the pool,” Kou plotted, giggling wickedly. Kou was one hell of a manager, being able to cope with all those boys.

Finally the bus pulled up at your house. Nagisa and Rei had been dropped off already. As you stood, Makoto and Haruka also stood as well, grabbing their stuff. They lived nearby, so it made sense for them to get off at the same stop. All three of you jumped off the bus, waving goodbye to Miss Amakata and Kou, then you turned around to look at your house. You inhaled deeply, gulping. Two hands landed on your shoulders, making you turn to look at them both. Both were giving you gentle smiles.

“It’ll be alright,” Haruka encouraged, then he looked at your house. Makoto beamed a warm smile, lifting his hand off your shoulder and gently ruffled your hair. You giggled happily, seeing Haruka raise a brow, but then lowered it as he realized.

“You two are dating?” Haruka asked and you looked at Makoto. Makoto looked back at you, then you both looked at Haruka.

“I wouldn’t really call it dating just yet Haruka… More we’ve confessed and are willing to give it a go, but in other words, yes, I guess we are,” Makoto explained, smiling at him. Haruka smiled back at him, then looked at you.

“Let me know if he annoys you, I’ll scold him,” Haruka informed you, making you smile happily at him. You felt like you could start crying from being so happy. You’d really wanted Haruka to take this well, and not only was he taking it well, he seemed to be in full support. Haruka stepped to Makoto, grabbing his sleeve and began pulling him away.

“We’d better go anyway, see you tomorrow [first name]!” Makoto yelped as he was dragged away by the smirking Haruka. You burst into giggles, waving goodbye to them, before you walked up to your front door. Somehow it seemed foreign. You weren’t sure what seemed different about it. You slid the door open, stepping in, and closed the door shut. You walked inside, seeing your father sitting on the couch. On the table were loads of empty beer cans and two ash trays filled with cigarettes. Looks like the vase hadn’t done the trick. You looked around, seeing the place look a little bare. You raised a brow, walking to your room and placing your stuff down, then you walked to your parent’s bedroom. Peeking inside, you gasped to see all of your mother’s belongings were gone.

Cautiously making your way to the lounge room, you approached your father.

“Um, Dad? What happened while I was gone?” you asked, seeing your father look up at you. His eyes looked a little bloodshot, and he had stubble all over his face. He hadn’t shaved at all while you were gone. He clenched the beer can he was drinking tightly in his hand, growling under his breath.

“Your no good mother’s gone. She ran off, dumping you on me,” your father explained, making you gasp in horror. What? Had you heard correctly? You turned to where you’d left the vase, gasping in horror to see it laying on the ground, shattered into even smaller pieces. The world felt like it was spinning, way too quickly. You couldn’t keep up, one minute you were happy as could be, and the moment you got home, all that happiness was shattered. Your worst fear had come true. Your parents were officially separated, and what was worse was your mother had cleared off. You didn’t know where she was, and you only had your father, who was not happy about having you at all.

“What’re you doing standing there? Get out of my sight!” your father yelled, making you gasp. You backed away a step, stumbling, but managed to keep your footing. You looked at him in disbelief, before you shook your head, bolting out the front door. The tears streamed down your face as you continued running. You were just running blindly, clenching your eyes tightly as the tears fell down. You had to get away, get anywhere but there!

“Hey!” yelled a familiar voice but you just kept running. You wanted to just fall down some black hole, never to be seen again.

“Hey! [first name]! Stop!!” yelled the voice again, sounding panicked, and when you finally opened your eyes to look, the first thing you saw was the top of the stairs. You didn’t have time to stop as you’d already ran off the first step. The stairs came up to meet you quickly, the first step hurting badly on impact. Before you could tumble the rest of the way though, a hand grabbed your arm and yanked you back up harshly. Arms wrapped around your torso as you were cradled in someone’s arms. You looked up tiredly and weakly to see Haruka looking at you in concern. He was panting from running, but his eyes were wide in shock and concern. You blinked a few more times before your eyes closed, relaxing in the warmth. You heard Haruka sigh.

“Oh [first name]…” he mumbled under his breath, moving to pick you up. You could hear someone running to him, shouting something, but by that time you’d blacked out completely.


	9. Cataclysmic

Chapter 9  
Cataclysmic

 

You felt warm. And heavy. Too heavy… As you opened your eyes, you looked around to see yourself in an unfamiliar house. It was a normal, Japanese style condo, and most of the furniture looked like it was made of wood, maybe bamboo? The door sliding open caught your attention and you looked to your left. Haruka was standing there in a dark blue apron over his clothes. He glanced at you, then slid the door shut as he walked to you. He knelt beside you, placing a hand on your forehead.

“How’re you feeling?” he asked, sounding concerned. You coughed a little, covering your mouth with your hand. You blinked in shock after you coughed. Had you gotten sick?

“I feel tired… and weak…” you wheezed out, seeing Haruka frown in thought. He sighed, grabbing your shoulders and helped you sit up. You winced from a sudden pain in the back of your right shoulder. Must’ve been where you hit the step.

“You’ve got a bruise on your right shoulder blade, shouldn’t be anything to worry about. But you’ve gained a fever. If you don’t mind my asking, what happened? All I saw was you running blindly, and you were crying,” Haruka asked, looking at you in concern. You looked down sadly, all the emotions from earlier surfacing again.

“I got home… and Mum was gone… Dad said she left, dumping me on him… Then he… he…” you stuttered, feeling your shoulders shake violently as the tears began streaming down your face. Haruka frowned.

“Did he hit you?” Haruka asked. You shook your head, sniffing and making a high pitched squeak.

“No, he yelled at me. Told me to get out of his sight,” you finished, sobbing as you wiped at the tears streaming down your face. The door slid open again and you looked up with a gasp, seeing Makoto standing there. He was giving you a sympathetic expression, but he also looked a little angry.

“Makoto… I told you to wait out there…” Haruka scolded, but Makoto shook his head. He walked towards you, kneeling on the opposite side of you, and put a hand over your left shoulder, pulling you to him. Your head rested on his shoulder and you felt the tears begin pouring out. He’d just pulled away your last restraint on them, and you just broke into sobs on his chest. Makoto wrapped his arms around you gently, stroking your head with one hand as the other was wrapped around your back tightly. He looked up at Haruka, frowning. Haruka was giving him the same look.

“I thought… I thought by fixing that vase, I could show them that the marriage could be fixed! I was wrong…! I came home to find it broken again,” you sobbed, clinging to his shirt tightly. Makoto began shaking gently, and you looked up to see him biting his bottom lip in what looked like rage. You blinked in shock, your sobs dying down as you continued staring at this new expression on his face.

“Makoto…” Haruka stated, and Makoto looked down, seeing you staring up at him. He blinked, gasping as he realized you’d seen him with such a terrifying expression.

“S-Sorry… I just got a little angry. I hate it when parents blame the kids for the marriage not working,” Makoto explained. You nodded, realizing you felt really drowsy. You probably still had a fever, but you couldn’t tell as your eyes, nose and ears were screaming bloody murder at you. You let your eyes slowly close as you rested your head on Makoto’s shoulder, relaxing.

“How could he have done that? I didn’t like the look of him when I walked [first name] back home after she ran out during the first fight, but now he’s taken it too far,” Makoto hissed, holding you tightly in his arms as Haruka nodded in agreement.

“I agree, but what can we do? We’re teenagers, no one listens to us,” Haruka asked, sitting down on the ground nearby, putting a hand on your forehead again.

“Her fever’s still about the same… When she wakes up we need to get her to drink some fluids,” Haruka stated, looking at you in concern. Makoto looked down worriedly at your face, brushing some hair from your cheek.

“She can’t seem to catch a break… What did she do? Break a mirror or something?” Makoto questioned, frowning. Haruka gave him a sympathetic look.

“All you can really do is be there for her. She’s going to need all the support she can get, especially from you. You need to be supportive and understanding,” Haruka explained, removing his hand from your forehead and smiling gently at your sleeping form. Makoto smiled at seeing the smile on Haruka’s face.

“One things for sure, since [first name] joined the team, you’ve been smiling a bit more,” Makoto stated, making Haruka look away in a pout. His cheeks were tinged red.

“N-Not really… I’ve been the same as always,” Haruka denied, still pouting. Makoto chuckled a little, then swept more hair from your face. You shifted in your sleep, sighing contently.

“She looks peaceful… If only that could be the final bad thing to happen to her,” Haruka stated, hoping that he’d never have to see her cry ever again.

KNOCK KNOCK

Haruka looked up, standing and jogging to the door. He slid the door open only to be smothered by four people.

“Whoa! Hey!” shouted a familiar voice in the crowd. Haruka gasped as he realized it was his friend from Samezuka Academy.

“Rin!?” Haruka asked, staring at his red haired friend in shock. Rin gave him an unamused expression, rubbing the back of his head.

“I was with Gou when suddenly Nagisa and Rei appeared, dragging us both here,” Rin explained, pausing when he heard Kou exclaim loudly. She suddenly dashed into the other room. Nagisa and Rei both gasped in shock, running in there as well.

“Now now guys… She needs her rest…” Makoto tried to reassure them, making Rin raise a brow. He followed after them, blinking in shock at you. But what confused him even more was the fact you were resting your head on Makoto’s chest as you slept.

“Will she be okay? What happened?” Kou asked, looking at you worriedly. Makoto smiled at her.

“Yeah, she’s just got a fever. A lot’s happened, so she needs to relax a bit,” Makoto explained. Haruka looked into the room, then looked at Rin.

“That’s [first name] [last name]. The one I’ve been telling you about. She joined the swim team, she’s in my class with Makoto. She’s having a bit of family trouble at the moment,” Haruka explained, making Rin look at him in shock.

“Family trouble?” he asked in a whisper. Haruka nodded.

“Yeah, her parents have just separated after countless arguments… Her mother cleared off, leaving her with her father who sees her as a bother,” Haruka explained. Rin blinked, his eyes widening. He looked down at you sympathetically.

“That’s horrible… I couldn’t imagine what I’d do if my parents saw me as a bother… or Gou even in that matter…” Rin whispered, his words shaking as he tried imagining it. Rin then turned to look at Haruka.

“Haruka, despite that, while you guys were gone for that trip, that creep struck again,” Rin stated. Haruka raised a brow in confusion.

“Creep? Oh, you mean the guy going around vandalizing things in town? What’s he done now?” Haruka asked, looking at Rin seriously. Rin frowned, sighing.

“He attacked someone. Someone’s in hospital with injuries to their head. It’s that old lady that found a dead animal on her front porch,” Rin stated. Haruka gasped, remembering how that old lady had given him free food all the time out of the goodness of her own heart. And now she was in hospital, having been attacked by some creep stalking the town.

“Haruka?” Rin asked, waving his hand in front of his face. Haruka continued staring blankly at him, his eyes wide in shock. Rin gave him a worried look, then gently held his shoulders.

“Haruka, sit down… It’s alright. She’s fine. The guy left before he was able to hurt her too badly…” Rin stated, forcing Haruka to sit down on the ground. Haruka’s eyes trembled as he tried not to think too much about the old lady. He focused on looking at Rin, sighing shakily. Rin gave him a shaky smile, patting his shoulder. Knocking on the door suddenly caught everyone’s attention as they all looked at the door. Haruka stood on shaky feet, walking to the door and opened it, pausing when he saw who it was. A strange man was standing in front of his door, frowning down at him. He had stubble all over his face and blood shot eyes.

“I’m looking for my daughter. Stupid girl ran off, any idea where she’s gone?” he asked, cussing to himself under his breath. Haruka frowned when the man that he now figured out was your father called you a stupid girl and was about to lie, when you spoke up.

“I’m here Dad…” you stated, walking to him shakily. He raised a brow, looking you over from head to toe.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked, sounding almost disgusted. You giggled weakly, walking to him.

“Just got a bit of a fever, that’s all,” you responded, pausing when you heard sirens wailing in the distance. You looked out behind your father, catching his attention. He looked outside as well, seeing the flashing lights of what looked like the police and an ambulance.

“I wonder what happened now…” Rin stated, making you look at him.

“Oh, I’m Rin Matsuoka, I’m Gou’s older brother,” Rin suddenly introduced himself. You nodded politely.

“Pleasure to meet you, I’m [first name] [last name],” you stated, smiling and nodding at him. Kou suddenly jumped by you, looking outside.

“Let’s go see!” she exclaimed, grabbing your wrist and suddenly dragging you out the crowded house.

“Where do you think you’re going!?” your father suddenly boomed, making Kou flinch as she looked up at him. You turned to give him a pleading expression.

“I just want to see what happened… Can you come with us Dad?” you asked, offering him to join you. If he didn’t trust you with everyone, maybe he’d feel better coming along. He frowned at you, but after a few seconds he nodded.

“Very well, let’s go see what it is…” he stated, making you beam a smile at him. Everyone else filed out the house and you all began walking to where the ambulance and police were. Lots of people were gathered around by that time. The police had put up barriers around the area they were in. You raised a brow, looking around curiously.

“What’s happened Dad?” you asked, seeing him look down at you. Makoto stood nearby, frowning disapprovingly at your father. But your father just sighed.

“I honestly don’t know… it’s that creep though, that much I know. He’s already left a dead animal at our door step,” you father explained, seeing your eyes widen in shock.

“That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. I knew you’d be shocked…” he stated, looking back out at the crime scene. A few police officers walked out about to address the general public.

“I’m sorry to report that there’s been a murder,” the police officer announced, making you all gasp in shock. Even your father looked shocked. You turned to look behind you, seeing the shocked and frightened expressions on everyone.

“M-Murder?!” Kou exclaimed, clinging to Rin’s arm tightly. Rin grasped her hand in his, giving it a tight squeeze. Makoto had hold of Haruka’s jacket sleeve and was holding onto it tightly. Nagisa had begun clinging to Rei in his fright.

It was then, right at that moment, that you saw some workers sliding a rolling bed out. You caught a glimpse on the hand that was hanging from the edge of the bed and raised a brow. You looked at it as they moved away from the person’s torso and head and gasped, feeling your blood freeze in your veins. Your entire body was trembling violently.

“M-Mum?” you whispered, seeing your father look at you in shock, then he looked at where you were looking. He gasped loudly, gritting his teeth as he suddenly tucked under the tape.

“Julia!” he exclaimed, sounding distraught. You shook violently, then inhaled sharply.

“Mum!!!” you screamed, tears streaming down your face. The police restrained your father, asking him to calm down. You jumped under the tape as well, trying to run to your mother’s body. A police officer grabbed you, holding you tightly. You fought against him, trying to reach out to her.

“Mum!! Mum!!! Open your eyes!! Please!!” you screamed, tears falling.

“Julia!! Julia!! Why!? You disappeared! I thought you’d run off!! If I…. If I’d known this is what would happen… I never would’ve let you leave!!” your father yelled, tears falling down his face as well. Your friends were frozen in shock at this new development, unable to say anything. You sniffed, falling into the police officer’s arms as you stopped fighting back. Your body had grown incredibly weak and you barely had the strength to stand now. The world was gaining black around the edges.

“Sir! Your daughter!” the police officer called out, noticing the sudden change in your body language. Your father stopped struggling, turning to look at you, then gasped. He rushed to you, taking you from the officer and held you tightly. Your eyes began falling as he looked at you worriedly.

“Take her home… She needs to rest,” the officer stated, earning a sad nod from your father.

“I’ll take care of her, she’s all I have left now… I’ll never let her go,” your father whispered, picking you up in his arms. You rested your head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. He sighed sadly, turning and began the walk back home. The gang looked at you in your father’s arms, then looked at each other.

“We should get home…” Rin stated, making everyone nod. Suddenly everyone paused as they watched Makoto walk up to your father.

“Sir, may I come with you? I’d like to stay with [first name] if possible,” Makoto boldly asked, earning a confused look from your father.

“Why?” he asked, seeing Makoto gulp. Makoto stood his ground though, giving him a serious look.

“I’m [first name]’s boyfriend, and I’d like to stay with her during this difficult time,” Makoto explained, earning a gasp from everyone. You father looked stunned by the news, but sighed.

“I’d be in trouble if I didn’t… come on,” your father stated, earning a smile from Makoto as he followed, his smile disappearing as he looked at the two of you worryingly.


	10. Family Time

Chapter 10  
Family Time

 

(Makoto’s P.O.V)  
The inside of the house was an honest mess. [first name] had to live in this house? As we entered, I noticed the vase that lay on the ground, shattered into a thousand pieces. [first name] worked so hard on that, to try and get them to realize their relationship could be fixed, but it was all for naught. Mr [last name] placed [first name] on the bed in her room, putting the sheet and blanket over her as I watched worriedly. [first name] was looking pale, her cheeks were bright red and she looked like she was in pain. I stepped around the other side of the bed, gently holding her hand in my own. She felt cold to the touch so I kept her hand tightly in my own. Her father looked at me with a small glare, but he didn’t voice anything about it.

“So, when did this happen?” he suddenly asked, making me look up at him.

“It technically happened the last day of the trip. I finally confessed to her and she said she was willing to give being in a relationship with me a try. We’re going nice and slow cause she seems to be scared of something…” I answered, seeing him look down.

“We weren’t exactly the best example of a shining relationship, were we? I don’t blame her for being scared to enter a relationship, she was probably scared she’d end up like Julia and me,” he stated, looking down guiltily. I couldn’t help but feel sympathetic for him.

“Julia… She was [first name]’s mother, correct? That’s a very pretty name, I’m sorry for your loss,” I apologized, seeing him sit down on the chair nearby. He looked sadly at the photo on [first name]’s desk by her bed. It had all three of them in it, obviously taken during happier times. Julia was hugging [first name] from behind and her father was standing behind them, a hand on Julia’s shoulder as he grinned at the camera proudly. I suddenly paused and looked at the photo properly as I realized something was off about the picture. That’s when I realized, [first name] had really long hair in the picture, but she looked not much younger than she was now.

“I honestly thought Julia had just gotten fed up with me and left, dumping [first name] solely on me to try and get me to ‘shape up’, I never thought she’d been killed… I know our marriage has been in shambles for a while now, but I still cared for her. I was waiting on that couch for her to return, with that smug grin on her face, and begin taunting me that I wasn’t fit to look after [first name] on my own. I’m beginning to think she’s right… Look what I did to her… Look what I did to my baby girl…” her father stated, gripping his hair tightly in one hand by his forehead, his voice breaking near the end.

“I never wanted any of this to happen… to Julia… or to [first name]… Julia, I’m so sorry… If I could take it back, or redo it all, I’d do it again in a heartbeat…” he apologized to no one in particular, tears beginning to fall down his face. I felt my face soften as I realized I could no longer be angry at him.

“Sir… If you don’t mind my asking, why was your marriage falling apart?” I asked after pulling up every ounce of my courage. Mr [last name] looked at me, having let go of his hair. He gave me a weird look suddenly.

“Sir? That makes me sound like an old man… I guess you can call me Damion, seen as you’re together with [first name]. You seem like a nice lad, though that’ll have to be decided a bit later on… I’m watching you boy… But as for your question, no, I don’t mind… I’ll tell you, it’s the least I can do…” Damion stated, smirking a little before his smile fell. He glanced down at [first name], smiling sadly.

“This all started before we even moved here… Heck, it even started before [first name] was even born… [first name] doesn’t know this, but she had an older sister… Our first born daughter, Rosaline, was born very sick. Julia and I did all we could, but she passed away after she was five months old… Julia and I kind of blamed each other for Rosaline’s death, despite the fact that it was no one’s fault. Just as we had a huge argument and I was getting ready to grab the divorce papers, Julia suddenly found out she was pregnant again… with [first name],” Damion explained, shuffling his chair forward to look at [first name].

“So [first name] was the reason you stayed together with Julia?” I asked curiously, seeing him nod.

“Yeah, I stayed because Julia was pregnant… a lousy excuse huh? To stay because I was granted a second chance to be a father again? Anyway, [first name] was born and she was also very sick. I can’t remember the name of what she had, but it made her immune system very weak and she was slowly getting weaker and weaker. Julia and I began panicking, thinking we were going to lose another daughter. Luckily we found out she could be saved by a blood transfusion of the same blood type. I matched her blood type and we managed to save her. But she’s still sick though, she’ll never be rid of this sickness. It makes her body weaker than most, that’s why I was hesitant to let her join the swim club. She has low stamina and over exertion can cause her to become ill like this, same with stress,” Damion explained. I gasped as I realized I’d seen what he meant. That was why she was having trouble swimming and didn’t seem to be getting stronger, even after all that training. Her body couldn’t physically handle it.

“But that doesn’t answer your question, does it lad? Sorry, I trailed a bit off topic there… Work’s become hectic, and Julia begun hanging out with friends after work so I felt like she was dumping everything on me. I know that’s no excuse, but I began blaming [first name] for it. I began wishing she was an adult so I wouldn’t have to look after her anymore, then I’d be able to go out as well…” Damion stated, sighing sadly, looking ashamed. I gave him a serious look.

“Mr Damion, you may not have noticed it, but [first name]’s already almost an adult… she’s seventeen, she can take care of herself. I’m not saying she’s no longer dependent on you, because she will be until she’s eighteen at least, but she can look after herself while you go out and see some of your friends, she’s not a child anymore,” I stated, seeing him look at me. He looked stunned for a second, before he began smiling.

“Yeah, you’re right… Thanks lad…” he said, giving me a gentle smile.

“Makoto… my name’s Makoto Tachibana, not lad,” I stated, playing the same card he’d played on me. He smirked, chuckling a little.

“Tachibana… You’re Mr and Mrs Tachibana’s son? They run the neighborhood watch, right?” Damion asked, seeing me nod in response.

“If you’re their son, then I know [first name] will be alright. Please, when I’m not around, can you look after [first name]? I don’t want her getting sick again… This time seems to be alright, she’s already beginning to recover by the looks of it. I just need to go get her medicine and she should be fine in a few days…” Damion asked, standing from his seat. I looked up at him, having been kneeling by [first name]’s bedside. I nodded.

“I swear I’ll look after her. I won’t let anyone hurt her,” I swore, seeing him smile. He turned and left the room, leaving me alone with [first name]. It looked like her father had cleaned up his act, but I still couldn’t completely forgive him yet. I sighed sadly, seeing that only a little of the red on her cheeks was gone. I reached my spare hand up and brushed some hair from her face, gently running the back of my fingers down her cheek. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire, burning my skin.

“I wonder why you cut your hair…” I wondered aloud, hearing Damion suddenly clear his throat. I turned, looking at him as he entered the room with some medicine. He placed it on the bedside table, then returned back to his seat.

“You want to know why she cut her hair? To be honest, Julia and I didn’t know why either… One minute we were all happy, then the next we heard her crying in her room. We went in to see what was going on and found her sitting on the bed, a knife in her hand and locks of her hair all over the bed. She was cutting the final chunk of her hair by the time we arrived. She never told us why she did it, but it was one of the reasons we moved, not just because of my work relocating,” Damion stated, sighing sadly. I blinked in shock, looking down at her sleeping form. What had caused her to do such a thing? What had happened at her old school? She really was such a mystery. Running my hand down her cheek, Damion seemed to be looking at us now.

“You really do care about her, don’t you?” he asked, having been observing my actions. I felt my cheeks flush a little before I turned to look at him with a stern expression.

“I do… I really do care about [first name]. I’d protect her with my life if the need arose,” I explained, seeing all hints of his hesitation and worry disappear. He relaxed, looking up with a smile before he stood, placing his hands in his pockets.

“I’m gonna hit the sack… Want a futon pulled out for you tonight?” Damion asked, his voice still hoarse from all the shouting and crying he’d done earlier. I nodded, seeing the smile remain as he walked off. Looking back down at [first name], I placed a hand on her forehead and smiled, leaning down and kissing her cheek gently. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully now, or at least better than she was earlier. Stepping back, I saw Damion return with a futon, blanket and pillow. He began setting them down nearby the bed.

“Oh, one more thing Makoto. Don’t tell [first name] about Rosaline please? I don’t want to add to her shock and stress,” Damion asked. I looked up at him, feeling hesitant to accept. [first name] had a right to know, was it really my secret to keep? But Damion was right though, [first name] couldn’t handle any more stress or shock at the moment. I nodded silently. Damion sighed in relief, standing back and walking to the door.

“Thanks Makoto. I’ll be in my room, I’m counting on you to look after my baby girl for me, okay?” Damion stated. I nodded again, seeing him smile gently and leave. A smile suited him better than a frown, that was for sure. Slipping into the futon, I glanced up at the clock to look at the time, before placing my head on the pillow. We’d all had a rough day and deserved a bit of rest. I closed my eyes, allowing darkness to consume me.

\-- 

‘Thank you for looking after my baby sister. But I fear your job is only just beginning. I’m sorry for the burden that will befall you, but the tragedy has only just begun. Be ready for anything, the worst is yet to come’

Who was that? That voice that sounded of light, soft, silver bells. It was so melodic, so beautiful to listen to. Who did it belong to? I wanted to see. Show me, please. I want to see who you are. Turning in the darkness of my sleep, I saw a bright, brilliant light. Shielding my eyes, I snuck a look and saw long, elegant blonde locks of hair, dancing around in the non-existent breeze and blue eyes that would make anyone envious. The light calmed down and I finally got to see the owner of the voice properly. It was a woman, with incredibly long, knee length, straight blonde hair, the most beautiful blue eyes and the same face shape as [first name]’s. She wore a long, pure white dress. The softest of smiles was on her face while her eyes were filled with pain.

‘Makoto, I beg of you, look after my baby sister. You won’t be alone though, I’ll be right by your sides to protect you. Your biggest trial is yet to come’

“Rosaline? Are you Rosaline? [first name]’s older sister?” I asked, seeing her smile and nod, before she began to glow brilliantly again. I let out a sound of shock as I covered my eyes again, but not before I felt a presence flow through me. I gasped, feeling my consciousness shift again and I was transported into another dream.


	11. Alone

Chapter 11  
Alone

 

The next few days were difficult. You rarely left the bed, but Makoto stayed with you the entire time. The others had come during different times to check up on you, and you were grateful for it. But you just didn’t have the energy to get up or do anything, you barely had the energy to eat. Makoto was helping you with everything. He got you food, he’d plead with those big puppy dog eyes of yours for you to eat something, and when you finally gave in and forced food into your stomach, he’d comfort you when you burst into tears. Your mother was dead and your father was depressed. He’d at least become more friendly and concerned, but he was still distant, as if holding himself back. You’d asked Makoto about it, but he’d explained that he was feeling guilty for what he’d done to you, and didn’t want to make it worse by being too friendly, too quickly.

Now you sat on the couch, Makoto next to you, snuggled up to his arm. Your eyes were red and puffy from crying and they stung. A box of tissues sat on the table at the ready. You were watching a comedy on the TV, but you both didn’t react to the funny parts. Makoto was wearing a blank, almost sad expression as he ran his fingers through your hair gently, comforting you. He looked like he had something on his mind, but he didn’t speak it.

A knock on the door caught your attention as you both lifted your heads and turned to look at it. Makoto let you go, standing up slowly.

“I’ll get it” Makoto responded, walking to the door as you stood and walked slowly after him. Was it more of the gang? When the door opened, you blinked in shock to see two little kids at the door, and standing behind them was a familiar man and woman.

“Big brother! Big sister!” called out the twins as Ren launched himself around Makoto’s waist as Ran skipped to you, giving you a gentle hug. You looked down at her, smiling gently before placing a hand on her head, gently patting it. She looked up at you and giggled.

“Mum, Dad, what’re you both doing here?” Makoto asked, genuinely curious about their arrival. His mum wore her brightest smile as she lifted up a basket she had in her hands.

“I brought some goodies… May we come in Mako?” she replied, seeing Makoto turn to look at you. You nodded, seeing him step aside as both his mum and dad walked in. His father walked up to you, gently placing a hand on your shoulder.

“It’ll be okay, stay strong. We’ll always be here for you [first name], consider our home, your home” he stated, making a weak smile form on your face.

“Thank you sir…” you replied, bowing your head slightly. His mother placed the basket down on the table before the twins let go of the both of you, rushing to the table. As Mrs. Tachibana began pulling out the small cakes, the twins began pointing at them excitedly.

“I helped Mum make this one!” Ran exclaimed, pointing at a small pink cupcake. When she pulled out a second blue cupcake, Ren pointed at it.

“I decorated that one! I got a little carried away with the icing though…” Ren stated, chuckling nervously. You couldn’t help but giggle at their childish innocence. Walking to the two of them, you placed a hand on either of their shoulders, smiling gently.

“Thank you, they’re beautiful” you thanked, giving them both a kiss on the cheek. Their smiles grew to double their size. Mr. Tachibana smiled, watching the scene fondly as he stood beside Makoto.

“You really like them!?” the twins exclaimed, looking up at you with bright smiles. You smiled, nodding. Two sets of arms wrapped around your waist tightly, making you smile down at them. Patting their head gently, you heard footsteps approaching from the bedroom. Turning, you saw your father enter the room. He still looked really worse for wear, but he wasn’t grumpy anymore, he seemed sad instead.

“Guests?” he asked, approaching. Mr. Tachibana walked to him, offering a hand.

“Ryouta Tachibana. I’m Makoto’s father. This is my wife Hiyori Tachibana. These are the twins, Ren and Ran. Hope you don’t mind the intrusion” Mr. Tachibana introduced, seeing your father accept his hand, giving it a good shake.

“Damion. Pleasure’s all mine. Your son’s been a god sent gift. He’s been helpful in every way possible, you should be very proud” your father stated, pulling his hand back as you turned to see Makoto’s face was flushed very red. Hiyori giggled to herself, watching Makoto’s reaction. Ryouta turned to look at Makoto, smiling.

“We are. Your daughter is also a very charming young lady. We’re very excited to have her join the family” Ryouta stated, and this time it was your turn to flush red. Your ears felt like they were burning. Hiyori walked to you, gently placing a hand on your shoulder. Turning to look at her, she wore a warm smile, similar to Makoto’s. Damion rubbed the back of his head, chuckling a little.

“I’m assuming these two little rat bags are the twins? Ren and Ran, right? I saw you two when Makoto walked [first name] home. How’s it going you little rascals?” your father asked, leaning forward with a teasing smirk. The twins smiled brightly, running to stand in front of him.

“Bet you can’t figure out which of us is older!” Ran challenged, giggling happily. You smiled, watching them chat before turning your attention to Makoto. Ryouta walked to Hiyori, watching as you stepped to Makoto. Makoto gave you his warm smile, wrapping an arm over your shoulder as you snuggled to him, resting the back of your head into his shoulder and collarbone. The house had felt empty since your mother’s passing, and the funeral was tomorrow. The coroners had done their autopsy and discovered all the evidence they needed, and said that she could be buried soon. Your father had jumped at the chance, wanting to get her down and in peace as soon as possible. Now it was just the two of you, trying to survive in this cruel world.

“I’m terribly sorry for your loss Damion… If words could fix everything, they’d be sacred. All I can offer you is my support and condolences…” Hiyori apologized, her expression sad as Ryouta put an arm over her shoulders comfortingly.

“Life’s hard without Julia… She usually took care of the housework while I looked after the bills… Now that she’s gone, I’ve had to have [first name] teach me how to clean… But nothing will replace Julia…” Damion stated, giving them both a sad smile. You looked down at the ground, your bangs hiding your face.

“We started this journey with three… It will never be finished when there are just two left…” you whispered, seeing all heads turn to look at you. You could feel Makoto’s gaze upon you as his arm moved from on your shoulders to your waist as he hugged you tightly from behind. Nuzzling his chin on your shoulder, he gave you a comforting squeeze. You couldn’t help but smile gently, holding his arms in your own.

However your peaceful silence was then shattered as someone began knocking on the door harshly. Turning, you looked at the door, walking towards it and opening it. A police officer stood at the door, a frown on his face.

“Is Damion [last name] home?” he asked, making your eyes widened as you stepped aside to let the officer in. A second police officer stood beside him, looking just as angry. Your father walked to them.

“Yes, what is this all about?” he asked, and you swore you saw a flash of something in the police officer’s eyes.

“Damion [last name], you’re under arrest for the murder of Julia [last name]. You have the right to remain silent, anything you do or say can be used against you in a court of law. You are entitled to a lawyer, if you cannot afford one, one will be appointed for you” the officer stated as he grabbed his hand cuffs from his belt and grabbed your father’s arm, pulling it behind him harshly. You gasped, your eyes widening as you watched the officer pull your dad’s other arm and handcuffed them together, then began leading him out the house. Everyone was standing there, frozen in shock and horror.

“What the heck’s going on!? I didn’t kill Julia! I would never kill her! She was my wife!” your father shouted, being dragged outside the house. You gasped, realizing that your last parental figure was leaving you.

“Dad!!” you screamed, trying to run to him before Makoto suddenly grabbed you in his arms, stopping you from escaping or hurting yourself or someone nearby. Your father turned to look at you over his shoulder.

“I didn’t kill her, please keep remembering that [first name]. Stay strong, I will be out soon when they realize they’re wrong! Makoto! Please look after her! She’s my baby girl, she’s all I have left! Swear to me!” your father shouted as he was dragged to the awaiting cop car outside. Makoto nodded, holding you tightly in his arms.

“I swear. I will look after her with my life!” Makoto yelled back, seeing the relief show on your father’s face. And in a matter of seconds, your father was shoved into a police car and they drove away. Everything seemed to stop as you stood there, watching the car disappear into the distance, your body shaking violently. Your eyes stung, tears wanted to flow out, but you had none left.

“Dad!!” you shouted again, making Makoto bury your face in his chest as he held you tightly, running his fingers through your hair. Hiyori looked at Ryouta in shock, as the twins glanced at each other in confusion. Sobs broke through your body as you clung to him, shaking and sobbing loudly. Just when things had begun to get better, you were now parentless. Ryouta stepped forward, kneeling down so he was in your line of vision.

“[First name], would you like to come live with us for a bit? We’d love to have you with us” Ryouta offered. You blinked, before looking up at Makoto. Makoto smiled, nodding his head in approval. You looked at Hiyori, seeing her nod with her biggest, warmest smile. The twins were looking very happy amongst themselves. Looking back down at Ryouta, he held up a hand in offering to you. You lifted your hand, shakily placing it in Ryouta’s. Ryouta smiled, standing and gave it a gentle shake.

“Makoto, help her pack, will you? She’ll be with us for a bit, but if we forget anything, we can just come get it” Ryouta stated, seeing Makoto nod.

“Alright, come on [first name], let’s get your stuff ready” Makoto urged, gently leading you to your bedroom.

\--

Upon arrival at the Tachibana residence, you entered the familiar house, a small smile on your face from the warm atmosphere. Ryouta and Hiyori helped Makoto carry your bags up to his room as the twins pulled you into the lounge room. Sitting down, they sat on either side of you and began to chat about, well, anything in general. They could spend half an hour talking about the sky if they could. You smiled, listening to the intent chatter as you stared ahead at the blank TV screen. Every time you looked in the mirror, you had a constant reminder of your mother, and it saddened you. Your eyes were the exact same as your mother’s, but you couldn’t go and gouge your eyes out or anything.

“[First name]?” Makoto asked, snapping your attention away from the TV. Turning to look at him, he smiled gently. He was standing nearby the couch, watching the twins chatter happily while claiming either side of you. You really appreciated the fact that the twins were so good at cheering you up, and they weren’t even trying.

“[First name]? May I have a hand in the kitchen?” Hiyori called out, making your head snap up instantly. Plucking yourself away from the twins, you jogged into the kitchen and saw Hiyori in an apron and had a bowl, eggs, flour, sugar, butter and choc chips laid out on the table.

“Whenever I’m upset, baking something sweet always cheers me up. Would you like to help me bake some cookies?” Hiyori offered, seeing the smile on your face light up. Following Hiyori’s gentle instructions, you prepared the mixture and made the cookies correctly. Placing the tray gently in the oven, you turned to look at Hiyori as she smiled at you, setting the timer on. Now all you had to do was wait.

“I’m terribly sorry about everything that’s happened honey… But just know that you’re not alone, okay?” Hiyori apologized, placing a hand on your shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. You smiled sadly, nodding at her.

“I know… Thanks…” you replied, continuing to chatter for a little until the timer went off. Placing on the gloves, you pulled the cookies out the oven and placed them onto the rack to cool. The next words would seal your fate.

“Cookies! Come get ‘em while they’re hot!” you called out, feeling impending doom fall upon you as a chorus of footsteps raced into the kitchen.


	12. Goodbye

Chapter 12  
Goodbye

You barely slept that night. As soon as the sun rose, you rose from the futon that had been laid out for you in Makoto’s room. Makoto was asleep like a baby, snoring quietly as he slept on his side, curled up. Your eyes stung a little from the lack of sleep, but you rose to your feet, walking to the mirror and began brushing your hair. Today was the day, the day you’d say goodbye to your mother. It’d been difficult to cope with her death, but Makoto had been helping you through it, and then your father had been taken as well and you’d ended up living with the Tachibanas. Hiyori and Ryouta had been incredibly kind, and Ren and Ran had been very understanding, trying to take your mind off things. Looking at your reflection in the mirror, you noticed the lines and dark shadows under your eyes. Looking at the two suitcases sitting on the floor, you knelt down and opened them, looking for your black dress. If you were attending your mother’s funeral, you had to be dressed appropriately. Standing once you found it, you exited the room and headed to the bathroom.

Once you were dressed and ready, you exited the bathroom to see Ren and Ran standing there, looking up at you. Both of them were wide awake, having gotten plenty of sleep, but they were looking up at you with the biggest, saddest eyes in the world. They could honestly put a puppy to shame. Smiling gently, you knelt down in front of them.

“Ren, Ran, what’s wrong?” you asked, seeing Ren sniffle a little, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

“Mummy and Daddy said that today we’re going to the graveyard… They said we’re attending a few-ner-all…” Ran said, attempting to say the word funeral. You couldn’t blame her, it probably wasn’t a word she heard very often. Ren was still tearing up, trying not to sob.

“Daddy said that your Mummy was gone… And that we’re going to say goodbye to her today… I couldn’t imagine my Mummy gone!” Ren exclaimed, bursting into wailing sobs. You smiled gently, shuffling forward and wrapping him up into your arms, cradling him as he gripped onto you tightly. Ran was looking at you sadly, watching her brother continue to wail and sob. The door to the bedroom opened and you looked up, seeing Makoto looking down at all three of you sadly.

“Sorry Makoto… Did we wake you?” you asked, seeing a small smile form on his face as he shook his head, kneeling down and placing his hands on Ran’s shoulders.

“Ren? It’s okay. Our Mummy is still here, she’s just down the stairs. We need to be strong for [first name]’s sake, okay?” Makoto reassured, seeing Ren look up at him, nodding quietly. He still clung to you though. Standing up, he clung to the skirt of your dress, refusing to let go. Ran looked up at you.

“Big Sister, can you help me get dressed? I want to look pretty at the few-ner-all!” Ran asked, grabbing the skirt of your dress and gently tugging. Ren looked up, strangely silent as he continued to cling to you.

“Alright. Ren? Do you want to stay with Makoto, or would you like to stay with me?” you asked, seeing him nod and cling to you more. You gently petted his head in your hand, before allowing Ran to drag you to their bedroom. Sitting down on the bed, Ren sat beside you, still clinging to you in his silence. Ran rushed to you, holding two dresses in her hands.

“Which one should I wear Big Sister? The red one or this blue one?” Ran asked excitedly before she suddenly quietened down, looking down at the ground in thought. She then looked up calmly.

“Which one would your Mummy like more?” she asked, making your eyes widen in shock. For an eleven year old, she was a very considerate young lady. Smiling gently, you pointed at the blue dress.

“She’d love that one, it’d remind her of Dad’s eyes… She wore a blue dress just like that on their wedding day” you stated, seeing the huge grin appear on Ran’s face. Turning, you smiled down at Ren.

“Ren? Would you like to pick something out to wear?” you asked, seeing him turn and nod silently. His hand was still gripping the skirt of your dress tightly. He stood and walked to the dresser, picking up a dressy pair of shorts, a shirt and a vest. Walking back to you, he gently pushed the clothing into your hands. Smiling gently, you began undoing his pajamas, getting him dressed. After securing the vest on tightly, you adjusted the small bow tie around his neck. He gave you a weak smile before Ran appeared, jumping excitedly around you.

“Me next! Help me get dressed next!” she exclaimed, smiling happily. You giggled, turning your head as you began helping her get dressed in her pretty blue dress. Makoto stood at the doorway, wearing his nice black suit. It wasn’t an actual tuxedo, but it was a fancy dress suit. He wore a small smile on his face as he watched you dress Ran, seeing Ren look at him quietly.

“Big Brother? Are Mummy and Daddy ready?” Ren asked, finally speaking up after his big crying session. Makoto smiled, looking out over his shoulder behind him.

“They’re ready. We’re just waiting on you and Ran now. We all need to get our shoes on and then we can go” Makoto replied, stepping to Ren and petting his head. Ren looked around, looking like a lost little puppy.

Once everyone was dressed, you all exited the house and began walking to the graveyard. Ran held your hand in hers, Makoto holding her other hand, and Ren was clinging to your skirt again. You had your spare around wrapped around Ren’s shoulders, holding him to you as you walked. Hiyori and Ryouta Tachibana walked along behind the four of you. Ren really wasn’t taking this very well. Ran was a little more mature and could handle it, but this appeared to be really difficult for poor little Ren. Approaching the graveyard, you saw several figures already there. Gou, Rin, Haruka, Nagisa and Rei were already there. All of them turned, giving you both a weak smile.

“Hey everyone…” Makoto greeted, lifting his hand and waving to them. Ran waved at them excitedly, letting go of both your hands and running to Haruka.

“Haru! Haru!” Ran chanted, grabbing his hand and giggling happily as he tugged at his arm, jumping around excitedly. Haruka managed a small smile, letting her pull his arm around.

“Wow, Haru-chan’s popular!” Nagisa exclaimed, watching Ran shower Haruka in affection. All eyes turned to you and Ren and you felt Ren’s grip on you tighten more. Looking down at him, you gave him a gentle smile, petting his head. He seemed to relax at this.

“Ren doesn’t look very well” Haruka stated, looking at Ren worriedly. Hiyori smiled sadly, approaching the two of you.

“Ren’s just never been very good at dealing with loss… We just have to be gentle with him” she reassured everyone.

“I see… Ren? Would you like to go get a soda?” Gou asked, kneeling in front of you so she was eye level with Ren. Ren looked up at you, as if asking if it was okay. You smiled, seeing a small smile form on his face. He reached out a hand, grabbing Gou’s hand and let her lead him out the graveyard and to the vending machine nearby. You smiled, watching them leave, before turning to look at everyone.

“This is it… The priest will be here soon to begin the ceremony. Are you ready [first name]?” Rin asked, giving you a sympathetic, serious expression. You nodded, giving him a reassuring smile.

“I’ll be alright…” you stated, beaming a smile. Everyone looked at each other, before looking back at you. They could tell, they could see, just how hard you were trying not to break. You’d lost your mother, had your father taken by the police, and now you were burying your mother alone. There’s no way you were alright, and they knew it.

“[first name], it’s alright… You don’t need to act strong in front of us…” Rei stated, seeing your defences immediately cave. Your shoulders began trembling as your eyes stung and watered. You blinked rapidly, looking down as your hands clenched into fists. Your breathing became unstable as the tears poured down your cheeks, small sobs erupting from you. Makoto gave you a sad look, stepping to you and wrapping an arm around your shoulder comfortingly. Ran had been holding strong as well before she suddenly burst into tears, sobbing loudly. Everyone looked at her, seeing her wail loudly.

“Big sister!” she wailed, running to you and burying her face in your skirt. She wrapped her arms around your waist, wailing and sobbing.

“Ran, it’s okay…” Ryouta tried to soothe, stepping forward.

“No it’s not! Big sister’s crying! It’s not okay if someone’s crying!” Ran exclaimed, making him freeze at her outburst. He gave a sad look, retreating back to Hiyori as he realized she was right. You wrapped your arms around Ran, gently running your fingers through her hair.

“Ran… The priest’s here… We need to quiet now for the ceremony” Makoto stated gently, giving her hand a gentle pat as she looked up, seeing the priest arrive, smiling sadly. Gou and Ren came back, still holding hands as they approached the graveyard. During the ceremony, you had both Ren and Ran clinging to your skirt, sniffing and whimpering quietly as you put a hand on both of their heads. During the ceremony, people gradually came out, one by one, from the town and watched the funeral. You were glad a lot of people were showing their support. You watched the machine slowly lower the coffin down into the ground, knowing that your mother’s body was in there. You could feel the stinging of tears, but you held them back, knowing it would set Ren and Ran off again. You watched sadly, remembering all the times you’d had with your mother.

(six years old)  
“Mummy?” you asked, wandering around the house, looking for your mother. Your father was busy working, and your mother had suggested playing hide and seek to pass the time. It was your turn to seek. You approached the door to the study, reached up and grasped the door handle in your hand, giving it a twist. The door opened and you peered inside.

“Mummy? Are you in here?” you asked, stepping inside and looking around again. You heard a bump from inside the cupboard, making you jump and let out a small squeak. Reaching for the handles, the doors suddenly burst open and you found yourself being lifted up into the air by familiar, slender hands and blue nails. You saw a wavy, flying mess of dark blonde hair and green eyes, identical to your own. Laughter filled the room as you giggled, being hoisted up into the air above a familiar, smiling face.

“Found you Mummy!” you exclaimed, seeing her giggle as she pulled you down to her chest, wrapping her arms around you in a hug. You clung to her, burying your face in her shoulder, nuzzling into her hair. Her hair was a familiar scent you always found comforting, so you nuzzled into it for a long time.

“You silly goose” she cooed, running her fingers through your long, dark brown hair. You remained like that for a while.  
(End Flashback)

You watched the coffin be laid still, being snapped back to reality. The priest finished saying his final words and you were called up to the front. Ren and Ran reluctantly let you go, letting you walk up to the front. When you got there, you turned to face everyone. Inhaling, you steadied yourself.

“Everyone… I’d like to thank you all for coming. About a week ago, my mother, Julia [last name], was murdered, here in Iwatobi. During that time, a lot has happened, both good and bad… But today, we say goodbye to a brave, kind hearted woman, and mother, and wife, who will be missed dearly. Julia was known best, for her loyalty, her willingness to continue a task till its completion and her motherly and protective nature. I have no doubt that my mother… died bravely, fighting to protect either herself or a loved one. Today, we may be saying goodbye… but we will always remember her in our hearts…” you declared, feeling the tears fall down your face as you announced this to the large crowd of people that had arrived. Ren and Ran were bawling now, clinging to Hiyori and Ryouta. You turned, facing the coffin and knelt down.

“Goodbye Mother…” you said softly, announcing the end of the funeral.


	13. Meeting Again

Chapter 13  
Meeting Again

It’d been a week after your mother’s funeral. The police still had your father detained at the police station, constantly questioning him. You’d visited a few times with Makoto, even sometimes with Hiyori and Ryouta. Hiyori gave your father updates on how you were doing, and even gave him some baked goods the two of you had made, just to boost his morale a little. But tomorrow, after how long you’d been away from school, you were going back. You were kind of excited to go back to school, especially with how much Makoto had been telling you about fun stuff you were missing. You missed swimming at the swim club, you missed sitting in class and listening to Miss Amakata’s rants and old sayings. But today, Hiyori and Ryouta were out at another Neighborhood Watch meeting and Makoto was at school. You were alone, taking care of the twins who had a student free day.

“Big Sister! Come outside and play in the sprinkler with us!” Ran exclaimed, running to you as you sat on the couch, watching your favourite soap opera. You pouted at the screen being blocked, attempting to see over the top of Ran’s head. She bobbed her head up, blocking the screen more.

“You brat!” you stated, grabbing Ran and pulling her to sit on your lap so you could see the TV. She let out a squeal, giggling as she sat on your lap content. Ren ran into the room, having heard the squeal.

“No fair! I want to sit on Big Sister’s lap too!” he exclaimed, jumping on the couch next to you and jumping onto your back. Your breath left you in a big huff as you avoided smacking your chin on Ran’s head, giggling a little as Ren grinned at you.

“You’re both brats! We’ll go out and play with the sprinkler once my show’s done. It’s got a few minutes left” you said, seeing them smile and grin at each other. Damn incarnations of Satan. A smile worked its way on your face regardless. You just couldn’t be mad at these two brats. Those few minutes passed quickly and upon seeing the credits rolling, the twins jumped up, grabbing both of your hands and dragged you outside. Both of them were already dressed in their bathers, which you found hysterical. Exiting the house and entering the backyard, you smiled as you saw Ren run to the tap, turning it frantically. The sprinkler sprung to life, sending shoots of water everywhere. You let out a shriek at the cold water, laughing as the twins began running through the water, squealing at how cold the water was. You stepped away from the water, giggling as the two of them ran around, looking happy and content.

“Big Sister! Come join us!” Ran called out, standing in the middle of the sprinkler’s aim, running quickly on the spot as the cold water hit her. You smiled.

“I have to get my bathers first. I’ll be back in a minute, you kids keep playing” you stated, seeing the twins nod as you walked back inside. Stopping in the lounge room first, you turned the TV off, before making sure the front door was locked. Walking up the steps to the bedroom, you opened the door to Makoto’s room, which was also your room as well now, and began searching through your bags for your swimsuit. Finding your one piece swim suit, you changed quickly. Jogging down the steps, you exited the house, seeing the twins still running around in the cold water. You braced yourself before running into the water, grabbing Ran from behind and lifting her off her feet. She squealed in surprise, laughing as she looked up at you. Ren laughed at seeing his sister getting drenched. The cold water on your skin was freezing, making you shiver as you let Ran go. She ran from you, turning and laughing.

“Me too!” Ren called out, running to you. You smiled, picking him up and beginning to spin around under the sprinkler. He squealed as well, giggling and laughing. Placing him back on his feet, he turned to flash you a big grin. You couldn’t help but smile as well. It was so nice to see the twins like this, smiling and laughing, compared to back at the funeral. This was so much nicer to look at.

“Me next! Me next!” Ran exclaimed. She didn’t get very far though before something was suddenly thrown into the backyard. The twins looked at it before glancing at you. You stepped forward, issuing for them to stay far away from it.

“Stay there… I’ll go look at what it is…” you stated, stepping forward cautiously. Your eyes widened as you suddenly realized it was a very badly tortured dead animal. Some kind of rat or rodent creature. You stepped back, turning and grabbing the twins, leading them back inside quickly.

“Sorry kids… play time outside is over…” you said calmly, gently pushing them inside. This was the first bit of vandalism that had happened to the Tachibanas, was it because you were here? The twins looked confused as they looked at you, seeing the panicked expression on your face.

“Big Sister? Are you okay?” Ran asked, looking at you curiously. Ren nodded his head, urging you to spill the beans. You sighed shakily before smiling at them.

“I’m okay… Come on, let’s get dressed” you reassured them, seeing them grin at each other. They turned, taking off in a sprint up the stairs. Turning to look at the back door, you stepped forward and locked it, ensuring no one could enter.

“Big Sister!” called out a chorus of voices from upstairs, whining for you to hurry up and get up there. Smiling, you walked up to join them.

-Later-

“Big Brother should be home from school soon. Do you two want to go get something from the convenience store across the road?” you asked, seeing them grin at each other. They nodded brightly, jumping off the couch and running to the door. You walked after them, seeing them scramble to put their shoes on.

“Now, here’s a thousand yen, that’s five hundred yen each… Make sure to split it evenly and be good” you stated, handing Ran the thousand yen note. Ran and Ren’s eyes lit up brightly, before they ripped the door open and ran out quickly. You giggled, watching them run off. Smiling, you walked back to the couch, sitting down. In a matter of minutes though, there was a sudden crashing sound in the kitchen. Jumping to your feet, you ran there quickly and gasped. A brick was sitting there with a note attached to it. Picking up the note, a photo slipped out. Your eyes widened as you gasped, freezing in shock and fear. The photo was a picture of Ren, Ran and Makoto. You opened the note, freezing upon its words.

‘[First name], Come to the abandoned construction site alone. Unless you want the twins hurt. You have twenty minutes.’

You didn’t even think, you dropped the note and took off out the door. You didn’t even realize you’d left the door open, nor did you even stop to think if this was a trap. You ran as if your life depended on it, running all the way to the abandoned construction site.

\--

Makoto yawned, having had a hard day at school as he returned home. Approaching the door, he stopped, raising a brow in confusion. Stepping to the door, he looked around, seeing the scattered shoes at the door. Walking in, he looked around.

“[First name]? Ren? Ran? Where are you all?” Makoto asked, stepping into the kitchen. His eyes widened as he froze to the spot, seeing the brick and note on the ground. The shattered glass around the kitchen also made his heart begin racing. Stepping to the note, he picked it up, gasping at the photo under it. Reading the note, he stood there, in stunned silence before he dropped it, running to the door and about the leave the front yard.

“Big Brother?” asked a small voice. Makoto froze, seeing Ren and Ran standing at the gate, looking at him weirdly.

“Ren? Ran? Oh thank god…” Makoto whispered, walking to them and falling to his knees, hugging them to his chest tightly. The twins stood there, confused and lost.

“Big Brother? Is something wrong?” Ran asked, pulling Makoto away from her. Ren looked between the two of them. Makoto smiled gently at them, patting them both on the head.

“Ren, Ran… I need you two to go back inside and lock the front door. Stay there until Mum and Dad get back… I need to go somewhere…” Makoto stated. The twins looked at each other in confusion, but they complied. Walking into the house, Makoto watched before turning and taking off in a sprint.

\--

Entering the abandoned construction site, you looked around nervously. Stepping cautiously, you avoided anything that would cause noise as you looked around. Despite the fact that it was abandoned, it was well maintained and there were lights on in one of the offices upstairs. You gulped, walking to the stairs and began walking up slowly, step by step. Approaching the last step, you began to have second thoughts. No, this person had Ren and Ran! You had to! Grabbing the door handle, you turned it, pushing it open. Stepping into the room, you saw a desk and a spinning office chair. It was turned so you couldn’t see the person upon it. Frowning, you stepped further forward.

“I knew you’d come” stated a male voice. You raised a brow. Why did this voice sound so familiar? Stepping further forward, you gave them a harsh glare.

“Release the twins” you demanded. You clenched your hands into tight fists to hide the violent shaking in your body. The male chuckled. That sounded really familiar… Wait… It couldn’t be…!

“I don’t have them [First name], it was all a trick” taunted the voice as the chair turned around and you gasped loudly. You froze to the spot instantly, your eyes open wide and your mouth hanging agape. Everything in your mind just shut down as he smirked, his laughter filling the entire room.


	14. Unexpected Reunion

Chapter 14  
Unexpected Reunion

“[First name]! Come with me for a moment, will you?” asked a boy, a bit older than you. He had pitch black hair that cropped around his face and narrow, lavender eyes. His skin was pale and he had a very attractive heart shaped face. You turned, flashing him a bright smile.

“Sure thing Kurai!” you responded cheerfully, tilting your head as you beamed him a smile. You began trotting, or rather skipping, after him happily as he led the way. Your long, waist length, brown hair floating lazily behind you. Kurai turned to flash you a smile as well, making your stomach flutter as your heart skipped a beat. You’d been going out with Kurai for a month now, and he’d made you feel like the luckiest girl in the world. He hadn’t tried to be imposing in any way, he’d made you laugh on every single date you’d gone on and he was always showering you in little gifts, whether it was a new pair of earrings, or a gentle squeeze of the hand. You really weren’t paying much attention at where Kurai was leading you, but when you finally stopped, you looked up to see a large house. You raised a brow.

“Kurai? Where are we?” you asked, seeing him turn to give you a small smile.

“We’re at my place. See, I wanted to introduce you to my parents” Kurai explained. Wait, what!? You hadn’t even had time to make yourself look pretty or anything!

“Kurai, isn’t this a little unexpected? I-I’m not even ready!” you asked, beginning to fiddle with your hair. Your hair wasn’t being very co-operative that day, and you were dreading his parents meeting you like this. Kurai just smiled, stepping forward and grabbing your hair gently, running his fingers through it.

“Your hair is beautiful [First name], you need not worry” Kurai reassured you, offering you his hand. You blinked, looking at it a very times before you accepted it. He gripped it gently, leading you into the magnificent house. It was really well maintained and looked even prettier on the inside. Kurai came from a wealthy family, so wealthy they could even afford a butler apparently. You blinked as you saw the strange man bow to you, reaching out for your school bag. You looked at Kurai for guidance.

“Yuugure, take our bags into the main room will you? [First name] and I will be in my room” Kurai explained, handing both your bag and his to the butler now known as Yuugure. Yuugure nodded, turning and walking to the main room. Kurai continued leading you into the house, beginning to lead you up the stairs that led to his room no doubt. Upon entry, your eyes widened. How could a room be that white and still be so clean? It was unfathomable. The amount of white was almost painful on the eyes. The only hints of colour were the flowers on the bedside desk and on the wall paintings. Kurai shut the door behind the two of you as you walked to the bed, sitting upon the edge.

“Your room is beautiful Kurai” you complimented, seeing him smile as he sat down alongside you.

“Why thank you [first name], but its beauty is nothing compared to yours” Kurai flirted. You felt your cheeks redden, looking down at your lap. You were suddenly really nervous. You were all alone with Kurai in his bedroom. You fidgeted with your hands, unable to sit still. A hand suddenly landed beside you on the bed. You jumped, turning to look at Kurai as you noticed he was leaning towards you.

“K-Kurai?” you stuttered, leaning back and away from him. This was too much, it was too soon. You weren’t ready. Kurai’s lavender eyes were narrowed in what looked like lust, or some other foreign emotion to you. He suddenly grabbed your shoulders, pushing you back on the bed harshly. You let out a small yelp as you hit the bed. You looked up at Kurai in shock and fright as he suddenly leaned down, beginning to kiss and suck at your neck. Your eyes widened as you began struggling, trying to push him off.

“Kurai! No, stop! I don’t like this!” you pleaded, grabbing his shoulders and trying to push him off you. This caused him to bite your neck harshly. You gasped as you let out a yelp, freezing in the pain. He’d just bitten you. Kurai, the man who had been so nice since the very beginning, had just bitten you! You began to struggle harder, attempting to hit him. You needed him off, right now! You felt him shift and took this as your chance. With all your strength, you gave him a strong shove and pushed him away. Jumping to sit up, you jumped off the bed and began to try and run for the door.

SLAP

You fell to your knees, staring down at the floor as your cheek burnt and stung. Your eyes began stinging painfully as you tried to comprehend what had just happened. You’d just been slapped, really harshly. Looking up through your hair which was now in your eyes, you saw Kurai standing there, glaring down at you sinisterly. You gasped quietly. This was the real Kurai, the Kurai he kept hidden from everyone.

“You filthy bitch… You offer yourself to me and then toss me aside! Deciding to date me marks you as mine! You belong to me! You have no say in this! You are mine! You will always be mine! You can run, you can hide! But you will never escape me! Do you hear me [First name]!?” Kurai snapped, his eyes widened in madness. You gasped, jumping back as you saw him begin to laugh. Your heart was racing and you felt dizzy, but you managed to scramble to your feet and run for the door. Wrenching the door open, you ran down the stairs and saw Yuugure standing there already with your backpack. You took it off him as he nodded with an expressionless stare, before you ran out the house quickly. That was the last time you saw Kurai, until now.

Now Kurai was sitting in front of you, smirking at you. You were frozen to the spot in fear, realizing that what he’d said was true. You hadn’t been able to run, you hadn’t been able to hide either… Even cutting your hair hadn’t helped, he’d found you.

“Kurai… What do you want?” you managed to choke out. It felt like a huge stone was lodged into your throat. Kurai smirked, shrugging one shoulder as he stood, placing a hand on the table.

“Do you like life here? Is Iwatobi High School nice? Gotta ask though, how’s your mother doing?” Kurai asked, taunting you. You gasped, looking at him in disbelief.

“Wait… It couldn’t be… that you…!” you stuttered, seeing him throw his head back in laughter. It was maniacal, insane. He was too far gone, he was completely nuts. Suddenly he stopped and lowered his head, hiding his eyes with his hair.

“I told you, didn’t I? You belong to me, and no matter where you run, I will find you… And you even had the nerve to start going out with someone else? What was that guy’s name? Oh yeah, Makoto Tachibana, the eldest son of the Tachibana’s. Heard you also joined the swim club. You’ve got a nice little group of buddies, Haruka Nanase, Nagisa Hazuki, Rei Ryugazaki, Rin Matsuoka, and Gou Matsuoka, need I go on?” Kurai said, lifting his head to show his cold, lavender eyes. Your eyes widened as you heard each of your friends listed off. No, he didn’t have information about all of them, did he?

“And as for your previous question, your mother was getting too close. She was close to sniffing me out, the little bitch!” Kurai snarled, growling as you froze. All fear dissolved in a second as you realized your mother had actually been trying to figure everything out. She’d been investigating the vandalism on the town and had gotten too close, so Kurai had silenced her. All you felt was anger now. This bastard was going to pay, but your mother had given you a precious chance, one you had better not mess up.

“And now I’ll silence you! I’ll have you all to myself then! You won’t be able to run then!” Kurai cackled. You glared, shifting suddenly to get ready to run.

“Have fun trying to catch me then!” you challenged, seeing him look at you in confusion as you turned, bolting out the room. You heard him call out, even protest before several crashing sounds came from the room. Running down the stairs, you turned the corner and ran into another part of the abandoned construction site. It was pitch black in here and you couldn’t see anything. Stumbling through an area filled with poles, you stopped when you spotted a shovel laying on the ground. Smirking, you grabbed it. This would make a good weapon, a solid smack to the head would knock that bastard out. Picking up the shovel, you heard footsteps enter the room. Letting out a silent gasp, you turned and quickly hid behind a giant pole. The footsteps walked calmly through the room until you heard them beginning to approach you. You gripped the handle of the shovel tightly, trying to calm down your racing heart. This no longer seemed like a good idea anymore. When the footsteps got close enough, you let out a yell and turned, lifting the shovel over your head and smacking it down onto your victim’s.

“W-Wai…!” called out a voice as a loud ‘WHACK’ resounded through the room. You heard the person collapse to the ground before you gasped. That voice sounded familiar! Trembling, you dropped the shovel to the ground and knelt down by the person. They had black hair, just like Kurai, but when you gently flipped him over, you gasped in horror. It was Haruka! A trail of blood was running down his face from the whack you’d given him. Your body was shaking terribly as tears began welling in your eyes. You shook your head, pleading and begging.

“No… No! NO!!!” you screamed, tears beginning to fall down your face.

“[First name]!?” called out another familiar voice. You turned, seeing a male approach you, but this voice caused you no panic. Makoto reached you, puffing a little as he shone his flashlight at the two of you. You flinched from the brightness of it before you looked down at Haruka with teary eyes.

“I… I didn’t mean to… I thought…” you stuttered, whimpering as Makoto gasped in horror. He dropped the flashlight and ran to the other side of Haruka. Gently grabbing his shoulders, he began shaking him.

“Haru! Haru! Wake up! Please! Wake up!” Makoto pleaded, his own eyes welling with tears. You sniffled, burying your face in his shirt as you cried.

“Haru, wake up! I’m so sorry! I thought you were Kurai! Please forgive me! Please wake up!” you begged, whimpering as you clung to his shirt. A groan suddenly broke the silence of sobs and you jumped up quickly with a gasp. Haruka’s face was scrunched up in pain as he slowly opened one of his blue eyes.

“[First name]? Makoto?” Haruka wheezed out, looking at the two of you before letting out a groan and bringing to his hand to his head. Pulling it back, he gasped at the blood coating his hand.

“I’m sorry, I hit you with the shovel… I’m so sorry, I’m so, so sorry Haru…” you apologized, sounding like a broken record on repeat. Instead of getting angry though, he just smiled.

“It’s okay… Let’s just get out of here…” Haruka stated, beginning to push himself up off the ground. Both you and Makoto gasped in unison as you grabbed his shoulders, supporting him.

“You shouldn’t get up Haru!” Makoto scolded, his eyes wide in worry.

“But we need to get out of here… He’s still on the loose…” Haruka reasoned just as a crashing sound from the other side of the room made you all gasp, turning to look at it. Oh no. Kurai had found you. And Haruka was hurt now. There was no way to run.

“Gotta admit, I didn’t expect you to be so violent [First name]” teased Kurai as he emerged from the shadows. You frowned, seeing him stand there and laugh.

“Makoto… call the cops…” you whispered, seeing him turn to you and gasp as you dove forward, grabbing the shovel again and stood, standing in front of the two of them protectively.

“[First name]…” Haruka whispered, before groaning in pain again.

“No! You can’t! It’s too dangerous!” Makoto yelled out, making you turn to smile at him.

“You’ve protected me since I got here… Now it’s my turn to protect you! Both of you!” you stated, turning back to Kurai with a glare. Gripping the handle tightly, you leaned down before running straight at him.

“You won’t hurt me!” Kurai stated, smirking as you swung the shovel back, swinging it forward again and smacking Kurai against the side of the head. His eyes widened at the contact as he was sent straight to the ground. He connected with it and made a terrible crunching sound. You panted, stepping back as you watched Kurai lay on the ground in a mess. Sighing, you relaxed your shoulders. Suddenly there was a grip on your ankle and you looked down, seeing him glaring up at you.

“You belong to me! How dare you hit me!” Kurai snapped, pulling your leg out from under you as you let out a gasp. Your head connected with the ground harshly and you laid on the ground for several seconds, trying to process what had happened. Kurai began pulling himself up to his feet and stood over you. Grabbing the front of your shirt, he lifted you up to your feet with a snarl before throwing you back against a pole. You let out a yell of pain as you hit the metal pole, leaving a small dent as you collapsed to the ground.

“[First name]!” both Makoto and Haruka yelled out, eyes wide in fear at the sudden fight. You heard footsteps approach you and you looked up weakly, seeing the wicked look on his face.

WHACK

Your eyes widened as you felt a sharp piercing sensation in your gut. You coughed, feeling the wind leave you as you let out a cry, curling up into a ball as you tried to protect your gut from being kicked again. Kurai let out a cackle of laughter. One whack, then another, they came in unison and all you could feel was an insane, burning feeling in your gut. You laid still, waiting for the next one but all you heard was a loud bang of something metal. Then there was a crashing sound next to you. Looking up weakly, you saw Makoto standing there, holding the shovel in his hands as he panted. His eyes were wide in what looked like fear and anger.

“Ma…koto…” you wheezed, seeing him gasp, dropping the shovel and kneeling beside you. Lifting you to sit up, you threw your head back in pain. Makoto held you still for a moment before pulling you to his chest, cradling you tightly. You lay still like that for several minutes as the sound of sirens were heard in the distance.

“[First name]… You don’t have to blame yourself for what happened… I don’t blame you, and I’ve already forgiven you” Haruka stated, making you open your eyes to see him kneeling beside Makoto, smiling gently at you. You felt like a huge weight had been lifted off your chest and you couldn’t help but smile back at him. Closing your eyes again, you felt several wet droplets fall down your cheeks as the sirens grew louder. But you could relax now, you were finally safe.


	15. Not Over Yet

Chapter 15  
Not over yet

 

“Dad!!” you shouted, seeing your father standing at the front doorstep of the Tachibana household. He smiled, the stubble on his face clearly obvious and he was slightly disheveled, but he looked genuinely happy. You felt a tingle in your chest upon the sight of him, as if a heavy weight on your shoulders had lifted.

“[First name]!” he called out, making you jump off the couch and run to him. You were still a little sore from your injuries, but you didn’t care. Running to him, you tackled him in a tight hug, earning a chuckle from him as he gently ran his fingers through your hair. You could feel the stares of the twins and could feel Makoto smiling gently at the scene. Pulling away from your father’s chest, you noticed his eyes were shimmering in tears.

“Dad, you’re out. Thank goodness!” you stated, seeing him smile and felt him plant a small kiss on your forehead. Pulling away from the hug, he wrapped an arm firmly over your shoulders as he looked up to smile at Hiyori and Ryouta.

“Thank you so much for looking after my daughter. I’m sorry about everything that’s happened and I’m sorry for having dragged you all into this” your father apologized, making Mr. and Mrs. Tachibana smile at him.

“It was no trouble at all. [First name] is a lovely girl and she’s welcome back anytime” Ryouta reassured, smiling at the two of you. Hiyori giggled, giving you a small wink.

“Consider yourself already part of the family [First name], our home is your home” Hiyori stated, giggling more as Makoto’s face flushed red. You couldn’t help but smile brightly, tears brimming your eyes as you felt all their love and support. Turning, you saw your father smile down at you.

“Gonna pack so we can head home?” he asked, earning a nod from you. You pulled out of his embrace and jogged up the stairs happily to Makoto’s room.

“I’ll help you [First name]!” Makoto called out, running behind you. You turned, flashing him a bright smile before entering the room. Looking around, you found one of your carry bags and began stuffing your clothing in there. Standing, you walked a few steps to grab your hair brush when you froze. Arms had wrapped around your waist tightly and Makoto was burying his face in your shoulder. You smiled, placing a hand on his arm and turning to look at him. His face and ears were burning red and he was looking up embarrassedly from your shoulder.

“I’m gonna miss you…” Makoto whispered, making your stomach clench into a knot. You hadn’t realized that yet, that going back home meant you’d see less of Makoto. Smiling gently, you kissed his cheek.

“Come with us. Help us get settled again and then we’ll go check up on how Haru’s holding up. How does that sound?” you offered, earning a nod from him as his grip around your waist tightened before he slowly let you go. You turned, facing him directly and bent on your tip-toes to give him a peck on the lips. His face almost exploded into red. Pulling away, you saw he looked shocked.

“That’s… the first time you’ve been assertive in our relationship” Makoto whispered, earning a giggle from you. Turning again, you grabbed the rest of your stuff and stuffed it into your bag. Before you had a chance to grab it though, Makoto bent forward and slung it over his shoulder.

“Come on, let’s get you two back home” Makoto stated, earning a smile and nod from you.

“Yup! Let’s go!” you cheered, opening the door and skipping down the stairs. Makoto watched you, smiling gently. Following you, you both arrived at the foot of the stairs.

“Got everything? Let’s go then” your father stated, turning and opening the front door. You took a step before you felt something cling to you tightly. Turning, you looked down to see Ren and Ran hugging your waist tightly. You smiled sadly, seeing the tears brimming in their eyes.

“Ren… Ran…” you whispered, seeing them pull away and look up at you. Ren was a sobbing mess, but Ran was holding herself together as best as she could.

“Promise us, you’ll come back and play one day. You have to promise!” Ran demanded, holding out her pinky. You smiled gently, kneeling.

“Promise…” Ren managed to mutter in his sobs, tears streaming down his face. You linked your pinky with Ran’s, earning a big smile on her face as the tears began falling. She’d been trying so hard too.

“I promise” you replied, earning little sobs from then before they both charged at you and wrapped their arms around your neck, sobbing into your shoulders.

“Big Sister!!” they called out in their chorus of sobs and whimpers. You smiled sadly, petting them both on the back as they sobbed into your shoulders. Hiyori and Ryouta watched the scene, smiling before they each grabbed one of the twins gently by the shoulders, pulling them away from you. You flashed them a smile, standing and waving gently. They sniffled, waving back to you before you turned to Makoto, seeing him nod for you to exit first. You jumped through the door, turning to face them all again.

“Thank you so much for looking after me. I can’t thank you enough” you thanked, bending forward and bowing to Hiyori and Ryouta. They chuckled at each other, nodding their heads.

“Come back anytime you like. Our home is yours” Hiyori stated, making you stand up and nod. Seeing Makoto and your father further down the path, you waved goodbye to them before jogging after them quickly. Skipping to keep to Makoto’s side, you looked around happily in the silence that befell the three of you. A hand wrapped up tightly in yours, making you smile as you intertwined your fingers with his. Turning to face Makoto, you saw the blush on his face.

“I was worried you know…” your father suddenly stated, making both Makoto and you stop, looking at him in confusion. Your father stopped, turning to look at you both.

“When I suddenly heard from the police that [First name] had suddenly gone missing when a threatening note was left at the Tachibana household, I went into hysterics. I think that’s partly why I was released so early. They realized I was really innocent. It took four officers to restrain me and get me to calm down. Then you were suddenly admitted to the hospital after they found you. I’m just glad they caught the bastard who killed Julia” your father stated, his eyes darkening for a second before he looked up and smiled at you. You smiled back.

“I’m okay now Dad. You don’t need to worry. Now we just have to wait for the cops to decide how to deal with him” you replied. Your father’s eyes widened open your words before he looked down, as if in thought.

“Y-Yeah… We should hurry up and get home…” he muttered, turning and continuing to walk away. That was strange. Looking at Makoto, you saw him looking just as confused. Shrugging your shoulders, you both continued after your father as you all entered the house. Things were just like you’d left them, messy.

“We really gotta do some cleaning tomorrow… Thanks for this Makoto, you’re a good lad” your father thanked, making Makoto’s face turn red.

“I-It was nothing…” Makoto stuttered, his face and ears bright red. Your father chuckled as he looked down, seeing your hands linked together tightly.

“Um Damion? [First name] and I were wondering if we could go see a friend quickly to see how he’s doing… May we? I’ll bring her back myself” Makoto asked, making your father burst into laughter.

“Of course you can. Just, may I have a word with [First name] first please? Alone?” your father asked. Makoto nodded, turning and about to the head to the door. He stopped, turning his head to you.

“I’ll be waiting out front” he whispered to you. You nodded, letting your hands separate. When the door closed, you turned and looked at your father. His expression had gone serious, which startled you.

“[First name]… You’re almost 18, and I really hate to do this to you, but I’m sorry, there’s just no other way. There will be a court session over your mother’s death, and they will want you to give a statement, in front of Kurai, it’s in a few days…” your father stated. Your eyes widened upon his words. You had to what…!? In front of Kurai!? You couldn’t! But, if you didn’t… He could get away with what he’d done… That couldn’t happen, then your father would go back to being suspect number 1!

“I-I understand…” you whispered, seeing him smile gently. He put an arm on your shoulder, gently leaning forward and tapping his forehead against yours.

“We’ll be away from this soon… I promise, it’ll all be over… Julia will be able to rest easy and you’ll be able to live in peace instead of fear” your father promised, pulling away with a small smile.

“Go, Makoto’s waiting for you” he stated, making you nod, turning and running to the door. Upon opening the door, Makoto stood there, waiting patiently for you with a smile. Smiling upon seeing him, you automatically linked hands, beginning your trip to Haruka’s house. It didn’t take very long, and soon you were in front of his door. Makoto pressed the doorbell, hearing the familiar tune ring through Haruka’s house. The door slid open, revealing Haruka standing there.

“Makoto, [first name]… everything okay?” Haruka asked. You turned to smile at Makoto before nodding at Haruka.

“Everything’s fine, we just came to see how you were doing” you replied, seeing a small smile form on Haruka’s face.

“Come in then” Haruka stated, stepping aside and letting you both in. Sliding the door shut, Haruka began walking into the living room. You both followed him, unlinking your hands as you went to different areas of the table in the middle of the room. Haruka sat down, looking at the two of you.

“Well, as you can see, I’m fine. Not much has happened since two days ago when the bandages came off. What about you guys?” Haruka asked. You looked at Haruka, seeing the scab of the wound you’d given him. It was completely accidental, but you still felt very responsible for what had happened. It was your mess and you’d dragged him into it, maybe even given him a permanent reminder of it too. Haruka saw the look on your face as your eyes locked onto the wound on his head before his expression softened.

“[first name], look at me, not the top of my head” Haruka stated calmly. You jumped, eyes snapping to look at Haruka’s blue eyes. He didn’t look angry in the least, in fact, he looked sympathetic.

“I’m fine. I don’t blame you in the slightest. The only one I blame for myself getting injured is that damn Kurai guy… Speaking of him, we never properly asked what that was all about. Do you know anything?” Haruka asked, making your breath hitch in your throat. You looked down at your lap sadly, fidgeting a little.

“You do know something… don’t you?” Haruka stated calmly.

“Haru… I think that’s enough… She’s clearly not comfortable…” Makoto suggested, trying to change the subject. You shook your head.

“No…! I want to tell you guys this story… I need to tell someone…! I haven’t even told my father… He just has his own idea of what happened…” you exclaimed, looking at the table as painful flashes of memories came back through your head.

“If you’re sure… we’re not gonna force you…” Makoto stated, looking at your trembling shoulders.

“It all started about a year ago… It was back before I moved here… I’d been dating Kurai for a while. He was the popular boy in school, charming, fun, sophisticated, he was everything every guy aspired to be in school. And I was incredibly dense and blind back then. He invited me to his place, claiming he wanted me to meet his parents, and I was foolish enough to go with him. I hadn’t even noticed the darker side of him yet” you started, your shoulders shaking violently as you swallowed a large lump in your throat. Haruka and Makoto were looking at you worriedly, unsure if they should attempt to stop you.

“We were greeted by his butler who took our bags, and then I followed Kurai up to his room. I… I remember a lot of white. His room was very white. I was sitting on his bed, just looking around when he sat next to me. We talked for a little before he suddenly pushed me down on the bed. He… He began kissing down my neck and I was trying to push him off. During our struggles he… he bit me… I still have the scar…” you stated, your voice turning into a whimper as you put a hand over your neck. Makoto and Haruka’s eyes had widened and in a matter of seconds, Makoto was behind you, hugging you tightly and gently stroking you hair in his hand. Your other hand which had been resting on the table was now being held tightly in Haruka’s.

“We… we fought some more, and I managed to get him off me. He slapped me… He called me a filthy bitch… claimed I’ve offered myself to him then denied him. He was screaming at me, claiming I’d never be able to escape from him, that I would always be his… Then he began laughing. I ran, I ran as quickly as I could. But he was right. I wasn’t able to escape from him, not even cutting my hair helped… or moving…” you finished, your form trembling in Makoto’s arms. Makoto’s eyes had widened upon your words.

“So that’s why you cut your hair…” he whispered under his breath before kissing the top of your head.

“And now, I have to stand in court and testify against Kurai… Otherwise he’ll be released…” you stated, making both of them gasp loudly. Haruka’s face scrunched up in anger.

“It’s because he’s under 18, isn’t it?” he hissed, earning a nod from you. Haruka lifted his fist, smacking it harshly into the table as he clenched his teeth tightly.

“Damn our law system! Why can’t they lock him a cell and throw away the key!?” Haruka yelled, his shoulders shaking from his anger. You blinked, looking at him. This was the first time you’d seen Haruka so angry, or even show so much emotion on his face. Makoto was watching his form sadly.

“Oh, it’s late. I’d better get you back home [first name], or your dad will be worried” Makoto stated, breaking the silence when he looked up at the clock. Haruka froze, composing himself before he looked up at the two of you with a calm expression.

“I’ll come with you. I’d like to see [first name] get home safely… and see if her father’s picked up his act” Haruka stated, earning a nod from the both of you. You all stood, exiting the house and began walking down the path that connected all three of your houses. Makoto was holding your hand tightly in his and Haruka was walking on the other side of you. Upon arriving at your doorstep, the door opened and your father stood there with a small smile on his face.

“I’ve already begun cleaning the house. We still have a bit of work to do, but that can wait till tomorrow. Did you have fun?” he asked, earning a nod from you as you turned, giving Makoto a peck on the cheek before letting go of his hand and running to your father. He placed a hand on your shoulder, pushing you inside gently as he turned with a smile, nodding to the two boys and shut the door. Makoto and Haruka stood there for a minute in silence before Haruka turned to face Makoto.

“I’d better get you back home too” Haruka stated, seeing Makoto turn to smile as well. They both began walking to Makoto’s house.

“So… I know this is about another 4 months away, but I’ve been meaning to ask. What’re you planning to do for the future?” Haruka asked, making Makoto stop and turn to look at him. He looked down at the ground in thought.

“I… Well, I haven’t really thought about it. I’m thinking of going to university. What about you?” Makoto asked. Haruka looked down at the ground as well.

“I don’t really care, as long as I’m free. But that’s not what I meant… I meant with your relationship with [first name]” Haruka stated, making Makoto’s cheeks turn red as he looked up at Haruka in confusion.

“Haru… What do you mean?” he asked, making Haruka sigh.

“Are you in love with her? Are you going to marry her?” Haruka asked. Makoto gasped, jumping back with a bright red face.

“H-Haru! I-Isn’t it a little early to be thinking that!?” he exclaimed, earning a small smile on Haruka’s face before it fell. His expression became serious.

“Have you seen the look on her father’s face? Did you actually look into his eyes? He already knows how this court case is going to go, and he has the eyes of a man who has nothing left to lose. [First name] may find herself dependent on you for quite a while soon” Haruka stated. Makoto raised a brow in confusion before seeing Haruka turn and begin to continue walking.

“H-Haru! Wait! What did you mean?” Makoto called out, but Haruka quickly changed the subject.


End file.
